Jl 


Personal  Efficiency 

And 

Mind  Power  Building 


Course  of  12  Lessons 


BY/ 

D.  HERBERT  (HEY  WOOD 


By  D.  Herbert  Heywood 


THOMSON  -  HEYWOOD  COMPANY 

CHRONICLE  BUILDING 
SAN  FRANCISCO.  CAL. 


Personal  Efficiency 

And 

Mind  Power  Building 


Course  of  12  Lessons 


BY 

D.  HERBERT  {HEYWOOD 

Copyright  1921 
By  D.  Herbert  Heywood 


THOMSON  -  HEYWOOD  COMPANY 

CHRONICLE  BUILDING 
SAN  FRANCISCO.  CAL. 


FOREWORD 

...   .     Wfcat people. Now  Want 

*:  V       '••'  :  '•/: :  : 

The  age^  of  "exportation  is  past.     Men  and 

w.^^j':\^ijf;X<5;kilo^  the  why  and  how  of 
thifi£3.  *  'Thef  bldTtnspxifn^o'f  industry  and  econ- 
omy have  become  stale.  There  is  an  industry 
that  keeps  a  man  forever  doing  little  things  and 
never  attaining  anything  worth  while.  There  is 
an  economy  that  starves  the  individual  and  pre- 
vents the  living  of  the  larger,  fuller  life  that 
every  person  is  entitled  to  in  this  age.  What  is 
needed  are  bigger  ideas  and  a  better  training  for 
one's  life  work. 

DRAWING  ON  INEXHAUSTIBLE 
FACULTIES 

All  persons  have  an  indefinite  feeling  that 
they  possess  faculties  which  if  used  would  bring 
to  themselves  all  that  they  desire.  And  they 
are  right.  Nature's  instincts  are  true. 

That  is  why  people  are  no  longer  satisfied 
with  a  doctrine  of  contentment.  They  want  the 
knowledge  that  will  enable  them  to  climb  higher 
in  the  commercial,  professional  and  social  world 
and  attain  their  fondest  desires.  They  want 
substantial,  material  things.  Any  knowledge 
that  falls  short  of  this  fails  to  satisfy. 

To  do  greater  things  we  must  imitate 
nature,  who  attains  her  ends  in  a  prodigal 
way.  We  have  latent  faculties  that  are 
crying  aloud  to  be  used  so  that  they  can  bring 
abundance,  and  the  more  these  faculties  are 
used  the  more  they  grow  and  produce.  These 
latent  faculties  are  what  we  shall  set  forth 
and  explain,  with  the  practical  application  to 
the  affairs  of  life. 

(2) 


New  Science  of  Self-Develop- 


EVERY  wide-awake  man  and  woman  now 
realizes  a  quickening  of  tke  pace  of 
human  life  and  affairs.  To  some  this 
causes  a  feeling  of  doubt  and  apprehension 
whether  they  will  be  able  to  keep  up  their  end 
in  the  race  and  work  out  their  ambitions. 

A  subtle  fear  has  crept  into  the  popular  mind 
that  we  are  approaching  the  breaking  point, 
when  a  greater  proportion  of  men  and  women 
must  drop  out  of  the  ranks  of  money  earners  at 
earlier  ages  than  before. 

To  all  such  modern  science  and  the  best 
rules  of  business  practice  bear  a  message  of 
joy  and  hope.  New-found  qualities  of  the 
mind  revealed  in  research  laboratories  and  in 
the  crucible  of  great  business  enterprises, 
show  a  realm  of  mental  resources  in  mankind 
never  dreamed  of  in  the  past.  These  latent 
faculties  can  be  relied  upon  to  carry  men 
upward  and  forward  without  stress  and 
strain,  if  only  the  laws  governing  the  mind 
are  as  well  understood  as  the  laws  of  mechan- 
ical operations. 

QUICKENED  PACE  DEMANDS  NEW 
POWERS 

The  best  evidence  of  the  truth  of  this  state- 
ment is  the  fact  that  the  biggest  men  and  women 
in  all  lines  of  business  and  professional  life  are 
living  demonstrations  of  it.  They  have  found 
ways  of  carrying  out  big  enterprises  without 

(3) 


wrecking  their  nervous  systems.  They  have 
learned  to  find  a  keener  enjoyment  in  life  as  they 
advane&'in  years  andf  to  faave  more  time  for  leis- 
ure and'  reereaticn:  ;  Wieir  rules  and  methods 
are  giv^n  ip.  this^cowse.  « r  «t 

'What  ttfe'se  individuals  h'ave  done  every  other 
person  in  the  whole  working  world  can  do  to 
some  degree.  With  the  knowledge  which  we 
now  possess  about  the  operations  of  mind  and 
body  every  man  can  begin  to  relieve  himself 
from  overstrain  from  the  very  first  week  that  he 
begins  the  study  of  this  new  art  of  living. 

In  the  last  two  decades  people  have  discovered 
that  the  mind  can  heal  many  bodily  ailments. 
Having  realized  the  mind's  efficacy  in  this  re- 
spect, they  have  begun  to  feel  that  a  broader 
field  is  before  them  in  the  business  and  social 
world. 

The  power  of  mind  that  could  heal  their 
bodies  and  solace  their  souls  contains  the 
elements  that  can  control  their  destinies  in 
life.  It  is  this  broader  phase  of  the  mind 
that  we  shall  unfold  in  these  lessons. 

DISCOVERING  YOUR  LATENT 
MENTAL  RESOURCES 

The  supreme  interest  of  life  is  its  devel- 
opment, to  become  what  we  are  capable  of 
becoming.  There  is  now  as  never  before  a 
tendency  of  men  and  women  everywhere  to 
study  themselves,  to  search  out  the  causes  of 
growth,  physical  and  mental,  to  discover  the 
faculties  that  bring  success  and  happiness  and 
to  cultivate  these  faculties  to  the  highest  degree. 
All  such  researches  tend  toward  one  end,  the 
building  of  mind  power. 

Everybody  who  amounts  to  anything  is  en- 
gaged in  this  work,  the  mother  with  her  child, 

(4) 


the  teacher  with  her  pupil,  the  business  man 
with  his  employes,  and  everyone  with  himself 
or  herself.  • .  *  ,  .  .» '  >.  . , 

Individuals  start  in  infancy  with  unlike  'tend- 
encies and  unequal  mental  erlergces.  '"There  .*s 
great  mental  variety  from  the  \ery  inception  of 
life.  The  embryonic  Washington  was  unlike 
the  embryonic  Napoleon  and  their  natural  de- 
velopment carried  them  on  to  different  destinies. 

The  life  that  each  person  is  fitted  to  live  may 
be  settled  before  birth,  but  the  life  that  each  one 
actually  does  live  is  largely  a  matter  of  acci- 
dental circumstances  at  the  outset,  until  the  mind 
assumes  control  and  begins  to  shape  the  per- 
son's destiny. 

While  there  is  a  difference  in  natural  powers, 
there  is  less  inequality  in  the  mental  make-up 
and  capacity  than  is  generally  supposed.  Not  all 
can  be  great  financiers  or  inventors,  poets,  ora- 
tors or  artists,  but  it  is  nevertheless  true  that 
each  person  is  supplied  by  nature  with  mental 
faculties  pointing  to  a  higher  plane  than  is 
usually  attained. 

The  greatest  of  all  industries  is  the  making 
of  men  and  women,  strengthening  and  develop- 
ing faculties,  ennobling  and  bringing  intelli- 
gence to  a  higher  level,  in  fact,  mind  building, 
which  is  equivalent  to  MAN  BUILDING.  How 
mind  grows  and  how  it  can  be  made  to  realize 
its  own  possibilities  is  the  object  of  this  Course. 

PLAYING  THE  GAME  OF  LIFE 
SKILLFULLY 

Life  is  a  game  of  skill  and  practical  psy- 
chology is  an  attempt  to  play  the  game  as  well 
as  possible,  since  by  force  of  circumstances  we 

(5) 


must  play  it  in  some  way.  It  is  the  science  of 
making  the  strenuous  life  a  joyous  one,  full  of 
pleasiifa'ble  tferiils:  iojstead  of  a  life  of  strains 
and  ills.''  ;  ;'  ;  '*«' 

>Tiho ".old;  id^ajof  £&J(ieholbgy  was  the  science 
of  mental  phenomena,  something  for  theoretical 
discussion.  The  new  idea  of  psychology  is  the 
science  of  doing,  feeling  and  thinking  in  a  logi- 
cal, powerful  and  effective  waj^  and  without 
stress  or  strain. 

For  in  this  new  age  we  are  all  driven  to  seek 
a  refuge  from  the  nerve-racking  complexity  of 
things.  Our  aim  will  be  to  show  a  new  inter- 
mediate path  between  the  complex  life  and  the 
old  simple  life  which  is  the  simplified  life,  the 
doing  of  all  the  hard  and  exacting  things  which 
we  have  to  do,  in  a  happy  and  easy  way.  While 
this  may  seem  at  first  mention  impossible,  we 
shall  show  that  it  is  easily  grasped  and  put  into 
operation  with  a  little  study  and  application. 
We  shall  not  present  an  intricate  system,  but 
instead  we  shall  introduce  simple  methods  for 
everyday  use. 

These  studies  in  proficiency  and  mind  power 
building  are  based  largely  on  the  new  discover- 
ies in  psychology  of  the  latent  powers  and  possi- 
bilities of  the  mind. 

The  most  impressive  discovery  in  recent 
years  is  that  a  dynamic  and  intelligent 
power  resides  within  each  individual.  Its 
full  significance  is  just  coming  to  be  realized. 
Science  has  revealed  beyond  the  world  of  the 
senses  and  consciousness  a  wide  and  unknown 
realm  of  human  energies  and  resources. 

These  are  the  mental  faculties  of  the  modern 
man  and  woman.  The  existence  of  these  facul- 

(6) 


ties  was  not  even  suspected  fifty  years  ago. 
They  are  as  new  as  the  later  developments  in 
electricity  and  telephony,  in  aeronautics  and 
motor  propulsion.  Most  of  these  new  discover- 
ies lie  in  the  realm  of  the  subconscious  mind. 

LAWS  THAT  GOVERN  MIND  POWER 

Like  all  the  laws  governing  the  material 
world,  these  laws  of  the  mental  world  are  simple 
when  once  formulated.  In  this  course  we  shall 
reduce  them  to  plain  rules  and  methods  which 
can  be  used  easily  by  any  person  of  ordinary 
education. 

The  directions  will  be  so  plain  that  within 
a  few  weeks  you  can  have  a  command  of 
mental  and  physical  powers  that  you  never 
dreamed  of  before.  You  will  also  be  shown 
how  you  can  employ  these  new-found  powers 
to  do  whatever  you  wish  to  do,  to  attain  any 
reasonable  ambition,  and  to  get  the  material 
things  you  wish  to  possess. 

This  is  not  going  to  be  done  by  any  mere 
hygienic  regime,  but  by  the  knowledge  of  mental 
laws.  You  will  be  shown  how  to  develop  the 
executive  faculties,  a  good  memory,  a  wide 
range  of  observation,  creative  imagination,  cor- 
rect judgment,  alertness,  resourcefulness,  appli- 
cation, concentration  and  the  quick  grasping  of 
opportunities  at  the  psychological  moment. 

The  mind  is  the  instrument  you  will  use  in 
this  broader  field  of  attainment.  No  one  can  get 
the  proper  results  from  a  machine  unless  he  un- 
derstands its  mechanism.  For  this  reason  we 
shall  give  you  practical  demonstrations  of  the 
working  of  your  own  mind. 

(7) 


LIKE  A  POST  GRADUATE  COURSE 

If  you  are  a  college  graduate  and  have  taken 
a  course  in  psychology,  or  if  you  have  already 
studied  other  systems  of  mental  culture,  so 
much  the  better.  You  will  more  easily  grasp 
the  essential  facts  about  proficiency  in  doing 
things  and  mind  power  which  will  be  brought 
out  in  this  course.  No  college  heretofore  has 
included  in  its  psychological  lectures  and  experi- 
ments a  course  in  practical  psychology.  These 
lessons  will  therefore  be  like  a  post-graduate 
course,  teaching  how  to  make  real  use  of  the 
psychology  learned  at  college.  This  course  will 
give  new  discoveries  about  the  mind  and  its 
operations  unknown  to  college  psychology  of  a 
few  years  ago. 

The  whole  trend  of  this  course  will  be  to 
familiarize  you  with  the  laws  of  achievement 
and  how  to  apply  them  to  your  own  business 
or  profession.  These  principles  will  be  made  so 
plain  that  you  will  be  able  to  explain  them  to 
others  under  you  who  thus  far  have  not  had  a 
glimmer  of  these  principles  which  are  of  such 
vital  importance  in  modern  industrial  and  com- 
mercial life.  This  will  be  in  line  with  teachings 
in  modern  business  schools. 

You  will  not  find  it  difficult  to  grasp  and  as- 
similate this  system.  The  various  lessons  will 
proceed  by  easy  stages. 

Very  soon  your  conception  of  your  relations 
to  men  and  things  will  change.  You  will  feel 
a  new  realization  of  power  coming  over  you. 
You  will  become  conscious  in  a  new  sense 
that  you  are  master  of  yourself  and  your  des- 
tiny. The  successive  parts  of  this  course  will 
have  a  cumulative  effect.  All  of  a  sudden  you 

(8) 


will  reach  a  stage  of  sensation '  that  is  im- 
measurably  advanced  over  any  mere  succes- 
sion of  plodding  steps. 

To  get  full  benefit  from  this  course,  it  is  de- 
sirable that  you  try  to  grasp  the  underlying 
principles.  We  would  advise  that  you  read  this 
lesson  two  or  three  times  in  order  to  reflect  on 
every  fact  put  forth.  If  any  portion  of  the 
course  is  not  clear  at  first,  read  it  again.  A  little 
repetition  will  enable  you  to  be  absolute  master 
not  only  of  the  ideas,  but  of  the  methods  which 
are  outlined.  With  the  mastery  of  methods  will 
come  the  practical  benefits  and  the  greater  power 
which  you  desire. 

SECRETS  OF  PERSONAL  DEVELOP- 
MENT 

The  secret  of  personal  development  is  con- 
tained in  three  fundamental  principles,  as 
follows: 

1.  Every  person  has  two  minds — the  con- 
scious and  subconscious.     Your  problem  is  to 
get  control  of  this  double  mind  power  which 
includes  all  your  latent  faculties. 

2.  Realize   the   great  big   FACT   that  you 
have  the  mechanism  of  a  practically  perfect 
memory,  and  some  other  special  faculty  of 
great  power,  either  executive  or  overseeing 
ability,  inventive  capacity,  creative  imagina- 
tion,  or  the  ability  to   do   some   one   thing, 
better  than  any  other  man  or  woman  in  the 
world.    . 

3.  In  four  to  six  weeks  you  can  be  defi- 
nitely started  on  a  new  plane  of  life.     This 
statement  is  based  on  the  discovery  that  new 
ideas  planted  in  the  mind  today  grow  and 

(9) 


produce  habits  which  begin  to  change  the 
whole  character  and  performance  of  a  person 
in  that  length  of  time — if  a  person  is  suf- 
ficiently in  earnest  and  studies  and  works 
along  right  lines.  It  does  not  mean  that  you 
will  have  attained  all  your  ambitions  in  that 
time — but  it  does  mean  that  you  should  be 
well  started.  Thereafter  your  progress  should 
be  continuous. 

Since  these  principles  are  of  such  vital  im- 
portance, we  shall  take  up  each  one  and  explain 
it  briefly  now  and  elaborate  upon  it  more  fully  in 
following  lessons  in  this  course. 

Principle  1.  Your  Two  Minds,  the  Con- 
scious and  Subconscious. 

If  you  know  how  to  use  both  of  these  minds 
and  make  them  work  in  unison  you  have  1000 
times  the  power  of  the  average  person.  We 
use  this  figure  with  mathematical  exactness.  For 
psychological  tests  have  shown  that  the  power 
of  the  subconscious  mind  acting  in  conjunction 
with  the  conscious  mind  is  1000  times  that  of  the 
conscious  mind  alone.  This  is  based  on  the 
deduction  that  the  subconscious  mind  is  the  cube 
of  the  conscious  mind.  If  an  average  man 
functions  32  per  cent  consciously,  his  subcon- 
cious  power  would  be  32  x  32  x  32  =  32,768, 
or  slightly  over  1000  times  the  conscious  mind 
power. 

The  great  men  or  women  who  can  project 
their  thoughts  into  enterprises  reaching  around 
the  world,  or  form  organizations  in  which  thou- 
sands of  persons  are  engaged,  utilize  this  degree 
of  power.  Some  have  stumbled  upon  it  acci- 
dentally and  only  after  years  of  haphazard 
methods.  Others  have  attained  this  power 
quickly  by  study  and  scientific,  practical  appli- 

(10) 


cation  of  it.  They  are  stronger  and  better 
grounded  because  under  all  emergencies  they 
know  just  how  to  use  their  double  mind  and 
how  to  direct  others,  because  of  this  knowledge. 

So  you  see  that  a  knowledge  of  your  two 
minds  is  necessary  from  a  practical  standpoint. 
Here  is  a  simple  explanation  of  your  two  minds. 
Your  conscious  mind  consists  of  the  thoughts 
which  you  think  from  moment  to  moment.  This 
thinking  process  takes  place  on  the  cortex  of  the 
brain — that  is,  on  and  near  the  upper  surface  of 
the  brain  in  the  front  part  of  the  head.  Your 
subconscious  mind  is  so  called  because  it  is  the 
working  or  functioning  of  the  lower  parts  of 
the  brain,  below  the  cortex  ,and  in  the  back  part 
of  the  head.  The  two  terms  are  easily  under- 
stood if  you  will  think  of  them  in  this  way,  that 
the  conscious  mind  operates  in  the  top  of  your 
head  and  the  subconscious  mind  operates  in  the 
cellar  or  sub-cellar  of  the  head,  as  you  might 
say. 

The  subconscious  mind  also  extends  away 
down  below  the  head.  It  follows  the  spinal  cord 
down  the  backbone  to  those  big  sub-stations  of 
the  brain — the  pulmonary  plexus,  which  regu- 
lates the  breathing;  the  cardiac  plexus,  which 
operates  the  heart,  and  the  solar  plexus,  which 
controls  the  digestion  and  other  vital  organs  of 
the  body. 

The  subconscious  mind  is  always  at  work  di- 
recting the  processes  of  life,  without  any  effort 
on  your  part.  It  works  while  you  sleep.  It 
must  be  a  tremendous  power  to  keep  all  this 
wonderful  mechanism  going  all  the  time.  It  will 
do  a  whole  lot  more  work  for  you  if  you  know 
how  to  use  it,  and  it  will  do  it  in  such  a  way  that 
you  will  not  feel  any  weariness.  The  rules  and 

(ID 


formulas  which  we  give  in  this  course  will  en- 
able you  to  bring  this  big  subconscious  mind 
power  of  yours  into  action. 

To  understand  what  will  follow  in  this  course 
it  is  necessary  for  you  to  have  a  ground  work 
in  the  knowledge  of  the  brain  and  nerve  system. 
This  we  will  proceed  to  explain  as  briefly  as 
possible,  taking  for  granted  that  you  already 
have  a  good  general  idea  of  physiology. 

We  will  make  the  following  explanation  for 
the  special  purpose  of  giving  a  proper  concep- 
tion of  the  subconscious  mind  which  is  one  of 
the  basic  principles  of  this  course  in  Mind  Power 
and  Business  Building.  If  you  grasp  that  one 
conception  in  this  lesson  the  rest  of  the  course 
can  be  understood  and  applied  with  perfect  ease. 
So  we  will  begin  with  short  definitions  and  ex- 
planatory paragraphs. 

MECHANISM  OF  THE  MIND  AND 
BRAIN 

Mind  is  the  inner  force,  the  Real  You,  which 
dominates  the  body.  The  brain  is  the  seat  of  the 
mind  and  the  principal  organ  of  the  mind.  The 
nerves  extending  from  the  brain  throughout  the 
body  form  the  system  of  communication  by 
which  messages,  and  impulses  from  the  mind 
are  conveyed  to  all  parts  of  the  body. 

The  brain  may  be  considered  the  operating 
room  for  the  entire  nervous  system.  From  this 
central  station  we  find  nerves  leading  outward 
to  the  eyes,  ears,  nose  and  mouth  through  open- 
ings in  the  bones  of  the  skull.  The  main  nerve 
cable  leading  downward  from  the  brain  to  the 
body  is  the  spinal  cord.  All  along  the  spinal 

(12) 


cord  are  nerve  centers  called  ganglions,  which 
are  little  brains  or  substations  of  the  main  brain. 
In  the  vicinity  of  the  heart,  lungs  and  digestive 
apparatus  are  the  other  nerve  and  brain  centers 
called  plexuses,  which  are  seats  of  nerve  force 
and  subject  to  the  control  of  the  mind. 

That  is  why  a  shocking  piece  of  news,  or  an 
unusual  sight  or  sound  may  "stop  your  heart" 
as  the  saying  is,  or  retard  your  breathing,  upset 
your  stomach  and  derange  your  digestion.  All 
of  these  organs  are  intimately  connected  with 
the  brain  through  the  sympathetic  nervous  sys- 
tem. The  solar  plexus,  in  the  abdominal  region, 
controls  several  of  the  vital  organs,  and  that  is 
why  a  blow  on  that  part  of  the  body  will  par- 
alyze the  whole  body  and  the  brain  as  well. 
The  solar  plexus  is  one  of  the  most  important 
of  our  little  brains.  It  is  a  vulnerable  point,  like 
Achilles'  heel,  but  it  can  be  made  to  serve  a 
very  useful  purpose.  It  can  be  used  to  stimulate 
the  entire  body  by  sending  a  message  of  the 
right  kind  down  from  the  mind  to  the  solar 
plexus. 

NERVE  SYSTEM  LIKE  ELECTRICAL 
APPARATUS 

In  addition  to  the  sympathetic  nervous  system 
which  controls  the  vital  organs  there  is  the 
sensory  nervous  system,  which  consists  of 
bundles  of  nerves  radiating  out  from  the  brain 
to  all  the  organs  of  sense  and  to  the  skin,  cover- 
ing the  entire  surface  of  the  body.  The  sensory 
and  motor  nerves  direct  all  the  actions  of  the 
body  and  are  under  the  control  of  the  mind. 

The  nerves  work  like  an  electrical  apparatus. 
Suppose  you  feel  a  pin  prick  OB  *he  end  of  your 

(13) 


finger.  The  pin  excites  a  nerve  ending  on  the 
finger,  starting  a  movement  of  some  kind  which 
travels  up  the  arm  and  to  the  brain,  like  an 
electric  current.  When  this  current  arrives  in 
the  brain  the  mind  perceives  it  as  a  sensation. 
The  speed  at  which  this  current  travels  has  been 
measured  and  found  to  be  much  slower  than 
electricity  by  wire,  but  otherwise  it  is  similar 
to  electricity. 

This  current  of  sensation  on  reaching  the  brain 
makes  some  kind  of  impression  on  certain  of 
the  brain  cells.  This  is  believed  to  be  a  furrow 
or  indentation  which  remains  on  the  brain  and 
becomes  a  memory  image. 

We  now  come  to  our  second  fundamental 
principle : 

YOUR  MEMORY  MECHANISM 

Principle  2.  You  have  the  mechanism  of 
a  practically  perfect  memory  and  some  other 
exceptional  faculties. 

Later  on  in  this  course  we  shall  devote  several 
lessons  to  memory  rules,  but  right  now  we 
merely  state  the  fact  that  Nature  has  given  you 
a  wonderful  memory  mechanism.  It  is  worth 
your  while  to  understand  it  and  thus  be  able  to 
use  it  at  least  as  intelligently  and  effectively  as 
you  try  to  use  your  automobile  or  any  other 
complicated  and  expensive  machine  that  you 
may  possess. 

Somewhere  in  that  brain  storehouse  of  yours 
are  the  faculties  for  executive  ability,  invention, 
professional  skill,  or  making  yourself  a  specialist 
or  fortune  builder.  The  methods  for  doing  this 

(14) 


will  be  taken  up  and  explained  in  this  course. 
We  now  come  to  the  third  fundamental  prin- 
ciple : 

TIME  OF  MENTAL  GROWTH 

Principle  3.  In  four  to  six  weeks  you  get 
a  start  on  a  new  plane  of  life.  Ideas  grow  in 
certain  periods  like  flowers  or  vegetables. 

You  are  now  going  to  cultivate  the  garden  of 
the  mind.  So  we  will  state  some  of  the  newly 
discovered  scientific  facts  about  the  mind  which 
will  have  a  very  practical  bearing  on  all  your 
affairs  of  life. 

Mind  seems  at  first  a  very  intangible  thing 
and  difficult  to  understand  and  control.  But  in 
the  modern  psychological  laboratory  it  is  meas- 
ured by  intervals  of  time  down  to  the  thousandth 
of  a  second.  Its  workings  and  fluctuations  are 
noted  as  methodically  as  if  it  were  a  current 
of  electricity  or  a  sound  wave. 

A  comparatively  simple  experiment  would 
serve  to  show  you  how  long  it  takes  you  to  think. 
You  may  believe  that  your  thoughts  are  quick 
as  a  flash,  immeasurable.  Quite  the  contrary. 
The  average  time  that  it  takes  a  keen,  intelli- 
gent person  to  think  is  about  one  and  two-fifths 
seconds.  In  fifteen  minutes  a  test  could  be  made 
of  you  which  would  show  the  speed  of  your 
thoughts. 

So  important  is  this  subject  that  it  is  worth 
while  to  go  into  it  in  some  detail.  If  you  can 
think  faster  than  another  person  with  whom 
you  are  engaged  in  an  argument  or  in  a  business 
deal  which  calls  for  all  of  your  acumen,  if  you 
can  think  even  a  fifth  of  a  second  faster  than 

(15) 


he,  you  have  an  immense  advantage,  as  much, 
in  fact,  as  a  sprinter  who  distances  his  rivals  by 
the  fifth  of  a  second. 


HOW  LONG  IT  TAKES  YOU  TO  THINK 

A  simple  way  of  testing  a  person  is  to  pro- 
nounce a  series  of  words  and  after  each  word 
have  the  subject  utter  the  first  word  that  occurs 
to  him.  These  answers  are  written  down  on  a 
chart.  The  examiner  holds  a  stop  watch  and 
records  the  time  taken  in  making  each  answer. 
About  the  quickest  answers  by  an  alert  person 
will  be  made  in  from  three-fifths  of  a  second  to 
one  and  two-fifths  seconds,  while  most  persons 
take  from  one  and  two-fifths  to  two  and  three- 
fifths  seconds  to.  answer  under  very  favorable 
conditions.  Puzzling  words  or  words  arousing 
emotion  may  prolong  this  time  to  five  or  ten  sec- 
onds. A  great  deal  depends  upon  the  kind  of 
words  used,  starting  with  such  simple  words  as 
"hat"  and  "coat"  and  changing  to  emotional 
words.  Lists  of  words  may  be  selected  to  fit 
different  classes  of  subjects. 

These  tests  reveal  individual  differences  of 
age,training,  physical  condition  and  other  quali- 
ties. Such  tests  can  be  used  to  analyze  the  com- 
parative mental  efficiency  of  the  worker  at  dif- 
erent  periods  in  the  day's  work,  showing  the 
effects  of  long  hours  of  work  and  also  the  effects 
of  monotony  and  variety  of  occupation.  This 
method  can  also  be  so  applied  as  to  detect  ob- 
scure mental  tendencies  and  to  uncover  motives 
or  information  that  are  being  concealed.  Emi- 
nent physicians  have  found  it  one  of  the  most 
subtle  means  of  determining  the  condition  of 
nervous  patients.  The  bearing  of  these  things 

(16) 


in  industrial  work  will  be  explained  in  the  lesson 
on  Industrial  and  Vocational  Efficiency. 

Lawyers  can  use  it  in  judging  the  mental  con- 
dition and  character  of  clients  or  persons  ac- 
cused of  crime.  It  may  mean  dollars  to  you  to 
learn  these  things.  That  is  why  big  business 
men  are  now  studying  this  subject. 

Having  got  a  good  idea  of  the  nature  and 
workings  of  your  own  mind  and  other  minds 
from  the  facts  and  psychological  laws  stated  in 
this  lesson,  we  ask  you  to  think  and  ponder  over 
the  following  formulas  for  personal  develop- 
ment: 

Form  the  idea  that  you  are  a  growing 
individual  and  that  vast  possibilities  are  be- 
fore you. 

A  Dynamic  Intelligent  Power  lies  within 
you  ready  to  assist  you. 

The  seat  of  this  power  is  in  your  own  Sub- 
conscious Mind.  All  that  you  need  to  do  to 
get  command  of  this  source  of  latent  Mind 
Power  is  to  understand  the  laws  that  govern 
its  use. 

Assume  the  part  you  want  to  play  in  life, 
and  begin  to  play  the  part  from  this  very  day. 
You  can  make  your  life  drama  as  heroic  as 
you  choose  to  plan  it. 

What  is  needed  at  the  start  to  grasp  this 
course  is  a  receptive  attitude  of  mind.  There 
need  be  no  strain  of  mind,  or  thought  of  strug- 
gle or  effort.  The  right  kind  of  mental  devel- 
opment is  like  the  growth  of  a  plant  or  a  child. 
It  is  a  simple,  natural  unfolding  of  your  latent 
powers.  The  following  lessons  will  unfold  this 
process  step  by  step  till  you  are  led  to  the  object 
of  your  greatest  desire. 

(17) 


IMPORTANT  PRACTICE  EXERCISES 

We  are  going  to  give  you  two  exercises  to 
work  out.  The  first  is  a  writing  exercise,  being 
an  incident  which  illustrates  the  principle  that 
nothing  is  ever  lost  if  a  person  keeps  his  mental 
poise  and  knows  how  to  command  himself  and 
control  others.  This  is  also  a  memory  training 
exercise.  Read  the  following  incident  very 
carefully  without  making  any  notes.  Then  lay 
this  text  aside  and  write  down  the  incident  as 
nearly  as  possible  as  it  is  stated  here  in  every 
detail.  After  you  have  written  your  answer, 
compare  it  with  the  printed  text  and  see  just 
how  many  errors  and  deviations  from  the  text 
you  have  made. 


Writing — Exercise  No.  I 

NOTHING  IS  EVER  LOST 

A  woman  went  to  the  cashier  of  a  bank 
and  asked  him  to  O.  K.  an  out-of-town  check 
which  she  wished  to  deposit.  The  cashier 
O.  K.'d  the  check,  placed  it  in  the  woman's 
yellow  pass  book  and  handed  the  pass  book 
back  to  her.  She  then  went  to  the  receiving 
teller's  window  to  deposit  the  check.  When 
she  reached  into  her  hand  bag  to  get  her 
yellow  pass  book  it  was  gone  In  dismay  the 
woman  rushed  back  to  the  cashier  and  cried, 
"My  pass  book  is  lost." 

"Madam,"  said  the  cashier,  "nothing  is  ever 
lost."    The  woman  at  once  became  calm  and 
reassured.    The  cashier  then  took  her  hand     * 
bag  and  looked  through  it  carefully,  but  the     v 
yellow  pass  book  was  not  there. 

(18) 


"Look  in  all  of  your  pockets,"  he  said.  She 
put  her  hand  into  the  left  hand  pocket  of  her 
jacket  and  took  out  the  yellow  pass  book  with 
the  missing  check  safely  inside  it.  The  pass 
book  had  not  been  lost  at  all.  The  woman 
had  merely  lost  her  composure  and  poise. 
Nothing  is  ever  lost — if  we  but  know  how  to 
use  our  minds  and  keep  track  of  all  things, 
and  control  ourselves.  The  cashier  who  was 
able  to  prevent  things  from  being  lost,  and 
to  keep  people  from  "losing  their  heads," 
receives  $10,000  a  year.  There  must  be  some- 
one at  the  head  of  every  business  who  pos- 
sesses this  faculty.  It  may  be  you. 


Personal  Analysis — Exercise  No.  2 

The  second  exercise  which  we  give  you  with 
this  lesson  is  the  making  out  of  an  efficiency 
chart  of  yourself.  Write  down  your  honest 
conservative  estimate  of  your  self  on  each  sub- 
ject expressed  in  percentage  figures.  For  in- 
stance, to  Question  No  8,  "Is  your  physical 
condition  good?"  you  might  put  down  50  per 
cent,  75  per  cent  or  90  per  cent,  according  to 
your  judgment.  Bear  in  mind  that  very  few 
people  are  perfect  or  100  per  cent  in  anything. 
Finally  add  up  all  the  figures  and  divide  by  ten. 
This  will  give  you  your  percentage  of  efficiency. 
One  month  later  make  a  revised  list  of  figures 
and  see  how  you  stand  in  your  percentage. 

We  shall  be  interested  to  know  the  result  of 
your  second  percentage  at  the  end  of  your  first 
month's  study.  But  write  to  us  before  that,  be- 
cause we  want  to  help  you  get  a  good  start. 

(19) 


PERSONAL  INVENTORY  CHART 

Name — 

Date Date.. 

1.  How  good  is  your 

memory? %     

2.  To  what  extent  do 

you     plan     your         ^ 

work  ahead? % 

3.  Is  your  work  prop- 

erly   s  yst  e  m  a- 

tized? .% 

4.  Can  you  influence 

ot  h  er  people 
along  right  lines? 

5.  What  is  your  de- 

gr  e  e  of  pr  o- 
ficiency  in  your 
present  work? 

6.  Can  you  do  your 

work  without 

stress  or  strain? 

7.  How  do  you  rank 

as  an  executive? 

8.  Is  your   physical 
condition  good? 

9.  Are  you  familiar 
with  the  laws 
of  efficiency  and 
business  success?    

10.  Are  you  happy  in 

your  work? JLL- - 


Total... 

Divide  by  10  to  get 
average  percent %  % 

(20) 


Value  of  System 

MIND  POWER  BUILDING  SERIES 
Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Heywood 


LECTURE  II 


IN  THE  first  lecture  we  outlined  Nature's 
System  in  the  make-up  of  a  man,  giving 
him  a  mechanism  of  mind  and  body  that  is 
practically  perfect.     It  now  remains  for  a  man 
to  systematize  his  work,  in  order  to  get  the  best 
results.     System,  instead  of  being  a  hard  thing 
to  attain  and  use,  is  the  easiest  thing  to  acquire. 
It  makes  the  hardest  work  easy.     It  becomes 
your  first  aid  in  all  your  troubles  and  com- 
plexities. 

Your  system  becomes  your  partner — your 
second  self.  It  takes  its  abode  in  your  office, 
store,  factory  or  home,  and  lives  there  twenty- 
four  hours  of  the  day.  It  is  there  while  you  are 
away  or  resting  or  recreating.  It  does  your 
work  and  takes  care  of  your  details.  It  runs 
your  business  without  your  presence  for  long 
periods,  if  necessary.  System  does  not  need  an 
entire  office  or  factory  in  which  to  be  operated. 
It  can  be  developed  in  a  desk  if  that  is  all  you 
have,  or  in  your  vest  pocket  if  you  are  an  out- 
side man.  A  clerk,  or  even  an  office  boy  who 
has  charge  of  a  desk,  or  a  woman  in  her  home, 
can  develop  the  principles  of  system  and  capac- 
ity for  management. 

System  means  a  way  of  getting  things  done 
without  stress  or  strain,  to  have  them  done  thor- 


oughly  and  on  time.  It  does  not  mean  a  lot  of 
card  indexes  and  fancy  fixings  and  a  lot  of 
assistants.  It  means  doing  the  thing  nearest  at 
hand  that  needs  doing,  doing  it  promptly  and 
completely  and  then  dismissing  the  subject  from 
your  mind.  This  saves  worry  and  the  fatigue 
that  comes  from  carrying  a  useless  load  of 
things  on  your  mind.  If  a  man  or  woman  fol- 
lows these  methods  every  day,  year  in  and  year 
out,  it  makes  no  difference  whether  he  or  she  is 
making  out  slips  on  a  clerk's  desk  or  general 
orders  on  a  director's  table,  that  person  will 
develop  a  system  that  will  make  him  a  power. 
It  matters  not  how  lowly  the  desk  may  be,  it 
can  be  made  a  training  course  in  system  and 
organization  if  the  man  at  the  desk  chooses  to 
make  it  so.  This  will  fit  a  man  to  take  advantage 
of  opportunities  when  they  come  to  him. 

A  clerk  who  keeps  his  desk  in  an  orderly 
manner  and  does  his  work  systematically  uses 
much  the  same  methods  as  the  executive  at  the 
head  of  the  concern,  and  is  in  training  for  the 
higher  positions.  The  faculty  of  handling  a 
multiplicity  of  details  with  ease  and  clear  head, 
or  assigning  such  details  to  others  trained  to  do 
them,  eliminating  red  tape,  completing  every 
task  and  checking  up  everything  with  absolute 
accuracy — overlooking  no  obligation  or  prom- 
ise and  forgetting  nothing — these  are  the  best 
rules  for  building  business  and  character.  The 
daily  habits  thus  formed  fit  a  man  to  control 
others  and  to  take  a  larger  part  in  the  organiza- 
tion with  which  he  is  connected. 

A  person  is  not  necessarily  born  with  these 
qualifications  of  methodical  work  and  thorough- 
ness, but  any  one  can  cultivate  them  if  he  will 
arouse  in  himself  sufficient  ambition — a  desire 

(2) 


for  advancement  so  strong  that  details  become 
easy  when  he  realizes  that  they  will  lead  to  a 
great  object.  Sometimes  a  man  gets  a  drilling 
in  system  from  a  benevolent  superior  who  takes 
an  interest  in  him.  But  more  often  the  sys- 
tematic man  has  to  train  himself. 


SPEED  OF  THOUGHT  TEST 


As  an  aid  in  answering  some  of  the  questions 
given  below,  try  the  speed  thought  test  on  your- 
self and  others.  Five  letters  are  chosen  at  ran- 
dom from  the  alphabet  and  each  letter  is  given  a 
figure  to  represent  it.  The  five  figures  are  then 
used  many  times  over  and  arranged  in  the  form 
of  a  square  with  100  numbers  in  it.  The  test  is 
to  see  how  long  it  takes  you  to  write  the  proper 
letter,  with  pencil,  over  each  one  of  the  figures. 
An  ordinarily  quick  person  will  do  it  in  three 
minutes.  This  means  one  and  four-fifths  sec- 
onds for  each  thought  and  muscular  process  of 
writing.  Deduct  one-fifth  of  a  second  for  the 
writing  and  you  have  one  and  three-fifths  sec- 
onds as  your  speed  of  thought.  Some  do  it 
quicker  and  the  slower  mentalities  take  from 
five  to  twenty  minutes.  This  test  was  devised 
and  is  used  by  Samuel  C.  Kobs  of  the  pshcho- 
logical  bureau  of  the  Chicago  Police  Detective 
bureau.  He  uses  it  in  testing  the  mentality  of 
adults  and  juveniles — to  try  to  get  a  line  on 
their  vocational  fitness  for  leading  useful  lives. 
Take  your  own  measure  by  this  test  and  let  us 
know  how  you  stand.  You  can  vary  the  test  in- 
definitely by  changing  the  letters,  and  so  apply 
it  new  and  fresh  to  any  number  of  persons.  It 
makes  an  interesting  game. 

(3) 


O    S    M  U   W 
12345 

Write  the  proper  letter  with  pencil  over  each 


figure  in 

following  table: 

it 

2 

1 

3 

4 

5 

1 

2 

3 

5 

4 

3 

4 

1 

5 

4 

2 

1 

5 

3 

2 

1 

2 

3 

1 

3 

4 

5 

2 

4 

1 

4 

3 

5 

2 

4 

3 

1 

3 

2 

5 

3 

1 

4 

5 

1 

5 

2 

1 

5 

3 

4 

2 

5 

1 

2 

3 

1 

5 

4 

2 

5 

4 

2 

4 

3 

1 

4 

2 

3 

5 

2 

5 

4 

3 

4 

5 

2 

1 

5 

3 

1 

4 

3 

2 

5 

1 

3 

4 

2 

1 

5 

3 

2 

1 

2 

4 

5 

3 

1 

4 

Time 

QUESTIONS.     LECTURES  I  AND  II 

1.  What  should  be  the  chief  aim  of  every 
person? 

2.  What  are  the  three  fundamentals  of  per- 
sonal development? 

3.  What  is  the  effect  of  applying  these  prin- 
ciples to  your  life  and  affairs? 

4.  Why  is  your  nervous  system  like  an  elec- 
trical apparatus? 

5.  What  is  the  value  of  your  subconscious  or 
deeper  mind  to  you? 

6.  How  long  does  it  take  the  average  person 
to  think? 

7.  What  is  the  practical  value  of  knowing 
your  speed  of  thought  and  that  of  other  persons? 

8.  How  are  you  systematizing  your  day's 
work? 

9.  What  is  needed  to  grasp  these  principles 
and  develop  yourself? 

10.  To  what  extent  are  you  using  daily  the 
rules  on  page  17,  for  personal  development? 

(4) 


Developing   Executive  Ability 

MIND  POWER  BUILDING  SERIES 
Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Heywood 


LECTURE  III 


IN  THE  first  lesson  of  this  course  in  self- 
development  ^e  told  how  the  system  which 
we  shall  set  forth  .can  be  made  the  founda- 
tion of  a  well-developed  personality  and  the 
means  of  large  achievements.     The  undertak- 
ing of  this  course  is  in  line  with  the  spirit  of  the 
day,  which  calls  fbr  a  broader  and  more  thor- 
ough education  of  rall  people  engaged  in  busi- 
ness pursuits,  as  well  as  professional,  political 
and  social  life. 

In  additiqn  to  whatever  education  a  person 
may  already  have,  it  is  very  desirable  that  every 
man  and  woman  take  up  some  special  study  of 
personal  development.  One  of  the  greatest  busi- 
ness men  of  the  age,  H.  Gordon  Selfridge  of 
London,  &ays  that  the  secret  of  progress  in  the 
comrnerqial.  world  is  to  "learn,  and  always 
learn."  , 

To  meet  this  requirement  and  to  start  a  per- 
son to  cultivating  executive  ability  and  the  other 
faculties  in  a  short  period  of  time,  this  course  of 
lessons  has  been  devised.  This  should  be  con- 
tinuous and  far-reaching  in  effects. 

In  the  first  lesson  in  this  series  we  set  forth 
three  fundamental  principles.  We  shall  now 
restate  them  in  slightly  different  words  and  pro- 
ceed to  show  the  practical  application  in  each 
case. 


1.  Every  person  has  two  minds — which  can 
be  so  used  as  to  increase  normal  capacity 
many  hundred  per  cent,  and  thus  build  up  a 
strong  personality. 

2.  Executive   capacity,   memory,   inventive- 
ness or  any  other  special  inherited  tendency 
can  be  rapidly  developed  by  the  right  use  of 
the  wonderful  mechanism  which  nature  has 
given  you,  by  proper  training  and  by  putting 
your  will  to  this  task. 

3.  Four  to  six  weeks  should  see  you  well 
started  in  this  self-development. 

Principle  No  1.  Mind  Power. — A  hard- 
headed  business  man  grasped  this  principle  and 
expressed  it  like  this:  "That's  right.  I  never 
can  do  anything  worth-while  till  I  get  the  back 
of  my  head  working."  That  was  his  way  of 
expressing  the  feeling  of  power  which  he  got 
from  having  all  the  latent  faculties  of  his  body 
and  mind  working  in  unison.  That  is  the  feel- 
ing which  every  person  ought  to  have  in  begin- 
ning every  day's  work. 

Personality  and  Power. — The  first  effect 
of  this  is  the  increasing  of  one's  personality.  It 
means  getting  self-control.  First  you  think  that 
you  wiS  get  control  of  this  splendid  body  and 
mind  mechanism  which  you  possess.  Then  you 
feel  that  you  have  got  control  of  it.  That  means 
that  the  thought  formed  in  the  top  of  the  head 
has  been  flashed  down  over  your  whole  nervous 
system  like  a  telegraphic  message  and  you  have 
got  the  control  of  your  whole  mental  and  bodily 
mechanism.  The  ability  to  do  this  is  the  be- 
ginning of  your  rapid  progress  in  the  building 
of  personality  and  power.  We  shall  give  some 
rules  for  developing  this  power  systematically 
at  the  end  of  this  lesson. 

(2) 


Principle  No.  2.  Developing  Executive 
Ability. — One  of  the  first  steps  in  developing 
executive  ability  is  enlarging  your  range  of  at- 
tention. By  this  we  mean  cultivating  the  ability 
to  see  many  things  at  once.  That  is  the  work  of 
the  overseeing  or  superin tendency  type  of  mind. 
The  ordinary  routine  worker  is  not  only  narrow- 
minded,  but  narrow  in  his  vision.  You  can 
make  an  interesting  test  on  a  number  of  people 
in  the  following  way : 

Bank  Note  Test. — Get  a  brand  new,  crisp 
bank  note  of  any  denomination.  Show  it  to 
several  persons,  asking  if  they  see  anything  un- 
usual about  it.  They  will  probably  say  no,  ex- 
cept that  it  is  new.  Put  it  back  in  your  pocket 
and  ask  them  to  draw  on  a  piece  of  paper  every- 
thing they  saw  on  that  bank  note — the  value, 
the  portraits,  and  all  the  other  markings.  Most 
people  will  not  even  notice  the  picture  of  the 
eagle  on  it. 

Watch  Test.— Try  another  test..  Take  out 
your  watch  and  show  it  to  some  one  as  if  to 
give  him  the  time.  Then  ask  him  to  write  on  a 
card  the  numerals  which  he  saw  on  the  face  of 
that  watch.  The  chances  are  he  will  write  I,  II, 
III,  IV — while  the  watch  is  probably  marked 
IIII  to  indicate  the  fourth  hour.  Or  the  man 
may  write  letter  numerals  when  the  watch  had 
figures  for  the  hour  numbers,  simply  because  he 
is  accustomed  to  see  letters  instead  of  figures 
on  a  watch  face. 

The  point  we  want  to  make  is  that  most  people 
do  not  see  what  is  before  them.  They  have 
never  been  trained  to  see  things  accurately.  The 
man  or  woman  who  aspires  to  direct  others  must 
learn  to  develop  this  faculty.  The  keen-visioned 
people  are  always  a  lap  ahead  of  others  in  every 

(3) 


relation  of  life.     They  are  the  overseers,  the 
managers,  the  executives. 

Gaining  a  wider  range  of  vision  can  be  culti- 
vated in  many  ways.  Here  is  the  way  that  a 
bank  cashier  in  one  of  the  large  cities  trained 
himself.  He  made  it  a  point  to  eat  lunch  each 
day  in  some  new  place — in  different  parts  of  the 
city,  among  different  classes  of  people.  He  was 
able  to  observe  new  drifts  of  trade,  the  tendency 
of  real  estate  values  to  go  up  or  down  in  differ- 
ent localities,  and  many  other  fluctuations  in  the 
city's  life  and  growth.  The  result  of  this  was 
that  he  rose  rapidly  from  one  position  to  an- 
other, while  other  associates  in  the  bank  re- 
mained fixed  from  year  to  year. 

Another  business  man  says  he  makes  it  a  rule 
to  ride  on  different  car  lines  to  and  from  his 
store — or  to  merely  sit  on  different  sides  of  the 
car  from  day  to  day — or  to  walk  part  of  the  way 
by  different  routes.  All  these  little  things  give 
him  a  fresh  viewpoint,  new  suggestions,  keep 
him  growing  and  prevent  him  from  falling  into 
a  rut. 

Alertness. — Another  quality  which  is  a 
characteristic  of  the  executive  or  overseer  is 
quickness  of  thought.  In  the  first  lesson  in  this 
series  we  explained  the  variation  in  speed  of 
thought  of  different  people.  It  has  been  found 
by  careful  tests  that  executives  usually  think 
from  one-fifth  to  three-fifths  of  a  second  faster 
than  the  average  man  or  woman.  The  follow- 
ing time  chart  has  been  made  in  a  research 
laboratory: 


First 
Class 

Executives 
Managers 
Superin- 
tendents 

Speed  of 
Thought 

13-5  second 
4-5  second 
1  second 

(4) 


[Profes- 
sionals and 
Educated 
Wage 

[earners 

(Unskilled    1 

|  Manual        [Speed  of 

[Labor          J  Thought 


Second 
Second 
Class 

Third 
Class 


Fourth  ]nPfpr»tivpq  J  Speed  of 

A-II  1  -L/cItJCllVco    i  rrvi  i    ± 

Class      [  [Thought 


Speed  of 
Thought 

11  1-5  seconds 
1  2-5  seconds 
1  3-5  seconds 

(1  4-5  seconds 

2         seconds 

1 2  2-5  seconds 

!3  seconds 
5  seconds 
10  seconds 


So  well  recognized  is  this  principle  of  an- 
alyzing and  classifying  people  according  to  their 
degrees  of  alertness  that  it  has  become  an  axiom 
among  progressive  managers.  One  department 
store  manager  will  not  allow  anyone  to  operate 
the  elevators  who  cannot  see,  think  and  act  in 
three-fifths  to  four-fifths  of  a  second  ordinarily 
— and  never  longer  than  one  and  one-fifth 
seconds. 

This  does  not  mean  that  there  is  no  place  for 
the  slower  thinkers  in  an  organization.  They 
may  be  very  useful  in  positions  where  absolute 
accuracy,  honesty,  loyalty  and  painstaking 
thoroughness  are  necessary.  Later  on  in  this 
series  we  shall  go  into  this  subject  more  fully. 
We  bring  out  these  points  here  to  illustrate  the 
principle  that  alertness  is  one  of  the  prime  essen- 
tials in  the  present-day  business  and  social 
world. 

You  have  doubtless  already  tried  out  the 
speed  of  thought  exercise  at  the  end  of  the  sec- 
ond lesson.  This  was  given  so  that  you  might 
already  have  some  practical  knowledge  on  this 
important  subject. 

(5) 


You  can  now  calculate  for  yourself  just  how 
long  it  takes  you  to  see,  think  and  act  under  any 
circumstances.  The  test  we  gave  you  is  not  as 
accurate  as  those  made  in  a  research  laboratory, 
with  delicate  timing  instruments,  but  the  printed 
test  will  illustrate  the  approximate  time  of  men- 
tal action  of  your  mind  and  that  of  other  people. 

Salesmanship. — Every  executive  has  to  deal 
with  the  subject  of  salesmanship.  This  is  a  big 
subject  and  we  can  only  touch  on  it  briefly  here, 
but  every  part  of  this  course  really  is  a  training 
in  salesmanship,  as  will  be  shown  later  on.  The 
executive  who  is  weak  on  salesmanship  can 
hardly  hope  to  make  a  big  success  of  any  busi- 
ness. If  he  does  not  have  selling  ability  himself, 
he  must  be  able  to  select  those  who  are  sales- 
men, or  train  men  and  women  in  salesmanship. 

Every  person,  in  a  sense,  must  be  a  salesman 
in  order  to  sell  his  or  her  personal  services  to 
advantage,  or  else  be  hopelessly  left  in  the  game 
of  life.  There  is  another  sense  in  which  every 
person  must  be  a  salesman.  Every  person  in  an 
office,  store  or  factory,  the  office  boy,  the  stenog- 
rapher, the  bookkeeper  and  the  manual  oper- 
ative, ought  to  hold  the  thought  and  belief  that 
sales  will  be  made.  They  should  hold  that 
thought  every  hour  and  minute  of  the  day. 

The  cumulative  effect  of  that  thought,  held 
uppermost  in  the  minds  of  a  whole  organization, 
will  bring  business  right  out  of  the  air,  so  to 
speak.  And  the  opposite  attitude  of  mind  on 
the  part  of  employes  will  just  as  surely  kill  busi- 
ness. The  selling  end  is  what  keeps  the  wheels 
moving,  keeps  everybody  employed  and  makes 
for  a  happy,  comfortable  future  for  all  con- 
cerned. 

(6) 


Executives  are  coming  more  and  more  to  drill 
this  idea  not  only  into  members  of  their  manag- 
ing and  selling  staff,  but  into  every  one  down  to 
the  shipping  clerk  and  factory  operative.  More- 
over, they  are  asking  or  expecting  as  a  condi- 
tion of  employment  of  each  applicant  that  he  or 
she  shall  have  that  thought  and  purpose  from 
the  very  start. 

Salesmanship  is  not  simply  a  clever  selling 
talk.  It  requires,  first,  thorough  knowledge 
of  the  goods;  second,  knowledge  of  how  to 
handle  the  different  classes  of  customers, 
ability  to  remember  their  names,  their  tastes 
and  hobbies;  and  third,  the  personality  of  the 
salesman. 

This  last  element  of  personality  is  really  the 
biggest  factor  in  salesmanship.  The  man  or 
woman  who  has  such  a  warm,  genial,  attractive 
personality  that  you  feel  a  sort  of  radiance 
emanating  from  them  as  soon  as  you  enter  the 
room  where  they  are,  such  salesmen  or  sales- 
women are  absolutely  invaluable  and  are  what 
make  a  business  grow.  This  element  of  sales- 
manship implies  education,  refinement,  mind 
power  and  broad  capacity.  That  is  what  this 
course  is  designed  to  produce. 

Analysis,     Deduction     and     Decision. — A 

characteristic  of  the  executive  is  the  ability  to 
analyze  a  subject  quickly,  to  make  a  deduction 
and  then  a  decision.  First  he  applies  his  power 
for  observation  and,  taking  in  every  angle  of  the 
subject,  he  then  makes  a  deduction  as  far  as 
possible  free  from  personal  bias.  But  the  prob- 
lem is  not  completed  until  the  decision  is  made. 
Right  here  lies  the  chief  difference  between  the 
big,  strong  men  or  women  who  do  things  and 

(7) 


the  average  routine  workers.  The  latter  cannot 
make  deductions  or  decisions.  It  is  pitiful  to 
watch  them  try  to  decide  on  any  subject.  They 
usually  end  every  such  struggle  by  postponing 
and  never  making  a  decision  or  taking  any 
action.  Learn  right  now  to  go  through  this 
whole  process  of  analysis,  deduction  and  de- 
cision as  each  matter  comes  up  during  the  day, 
whether  it  be  great  or  small. 

Principle  No.  3.  Time  Required  in  Per- 
sonal Development. — Many  people  never 
make  a  start  to  develop  themselves  because  they 
think  it  is  such  a  long,  uncertain  process.  They 
do  not  realize  that  one  month  of  concentrated, 
studious  effort  will  often  make  them  over  into 
new  and  stronger  personalities. 


LAW  OF  MENTAL  DEMAND. 

This  brings  us  face  to  face  with  another  great 
psychological  law  of  immense  practical  value 
to  those  who  wish  to  develop  executive  ability. 
It  is  this : 

You  can  draw  upon  the  latent  powers  not 
only  of  your  own  subconscious  mind,  but  on  the 
minds  of  other  people  with  whom  you  come  in 
contact,  and  get  their  aid  toward  the  accom- 
plishment of  anything,  great  or  small,  if  you  but 
make  a  mental  demand  for  this  aid  and  co- 
operation. This  may  be  called  the  Law  of  Men- 
tal Demand.  One  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the 
United  States,  who  has  built  up  a  world-wide 
enterprise,  affirms  that  the  use  of  this  law  has 
been  one  of  the  most  potent  influences  that  ha 
has  used  in  the  construction  of  his  business. 

(8) 


The  working  of  this  law  of  mental  demand 
must  have  been  noticed  by  everyone.  Have  you 
not  observed  the  power  of  your  demand  upon 
another  person  when  you  wanted  to  make  him 
understand  you  without  speaking  to  him?  Have 
you  not  thought  deeply  on  a  subject  and  then 
written  a  letter  on  this  subject  to  an  associate, 
only  to  learn  that  the  person  addressed  had  been 
impressed  with  the  same  idea  before  your  letter 
was  received?  Have  you  not  thought  intensely 
on  a  subject  and  had  a  companion  turn  to  you 
and  speak  the  very  words  you  were  about  to 
utter?  Have  you  not  desired  greatly  to  see  a 
certain  person  and  have  him  come  to  you  in  a 
few  hours  without  being  summoned  by  any  of 
the  ordinary  means  of  communication? 

With  its  first  recognition  and  experience 
will  come  a  new  sense  of  power  and  capacity 
for  achievement.  You  will  realize  that  you 
have  summoned  a  latent  faculty  into  being 
and  that  henceforth  it  will  be  one  of  your 
dependable  assets.  It  will  broaden  your 
scope  of  power  immeasurably.  For  the  most 
potent  thing  in  the  world  of  affairs  is  influ- 
encing other  people,  and  this  ability  to  send 
out  your  ideas  and  wishes  on  the  vibrating 
waves  of  thought  and  have  others  respond  to 
your  mental  demand  on  them  is  the  essence 
of  mind  power  and  executive  ability. 

The  exercise  of  this  power  reacts  favorably 
on  yourself  also.  With  every  bit  of  energy 
which  you  hurl  into  this  demand  on  others  you 
strengthen  your  brain  centers.  This  has  the 
effect  of  drawing  to  you  outside  forces  that  will 
contribute  to  your  mental  power.  With  this 
increased  power  from  within  and  without  you 

(9) 


will  be  able  to  command  all  the  talent,  thought 
and  co-operation  in  the  world  necessary  for 
achieving  your  purpose.  It  will  give  you  the 
assurance  that  comes  from  the  sense  of  ability, 
and  makes  you  master  of  any  situation. 

It  always  should  be  borne  in  mind,  how- 
ever, that  to  get  results  by  this  method  there 
must  be  absolute  harmony  among  the  mem- 
bers of  an  organization.  Inharmony  breaks 
the  connection  between  mind  and  mind — just 
as  when  two  wireless  instruments  are  out  of 
synchronism  they  cannot  exchange  messages 
with  each  other. 

These  methods  of  personal  development  re- 
veal possibilities  for  individual  progress  greater 
than  any  discoveries  in  the  world  of  mechanics. 
These  new-found  depths  of  the  mental  capacity 
of  man  disclose  energies  and  powers  as  much 
greater  than  the  limited  mind  of  man  of  a  gen- 
eration ago  as  present-day  electricity  exceeds 
steam  power  of  the  middle  of  the  nineteenth 
century. 

If  a  man  can  understand  and  use  his  latent 
faculties  effectively,  he  has  the  power  to 
change  himself  and  his  circumstances  through 
hitherto  unsuspected  powers  in  his  own  be- 
ing. He  can  build  wealth,  health,  character 
and  capacity  to  almost  any  degree  that  he 
may  desire.  He  may  become  a  wizard  in 
some  particular  line. 

He  can  remove  from  his  life  what  is  detri- 
mental to  his  health,  happiness  and  prosperity. 
He  can  gain  possession  of  the  material  things 
that  are  essential  to  his  happiness.  He  becomes 
conscious  that  the  possibilities  within  him  are 
practically  limitless.  There  is  no  limitation  to 
how  he  can  grow  and  develop  himself  or  his 

(10) 


business,  just  as  Luther  Burbank  has  shown 
there  are  no  fixed  limits  to  growth  in  the  plant 
world;  and  Edison,  Marconi  and  DeForrest  have 
demonstrated  that  there  are  no  limits  to  the 
application  of  electricity  to  the  uses  of  man  in 
world-wide  communication. 

This  possibility  of  mind  training  is  now  re- 
garded as  a  cardinal  principle  and  the  whole 
human  world  is  changing  to  harmonize  with 
this  idea. 

The  first  effect  of  this  revolutionizing 
thought  is  to  make  people  no  longer  satisfied 
with  living  a  narrow,  starved  life.  They  no 
longer  consider  that  they  must  give  up  to 
what  seems  the  inevitable,  because  they  have 
found  that  they  hold  the  key  to  powers  that 
will  overcome  any  circumstances.  So  a  man 
may  have  his  own  way  in  almost  everything 
if  his  desires  be  right  and  just. 

You  can  plan  your  future  and  your  business 
with  the  assurance  that  you  have  a  right  to  ex- 
pect to  realize  practically  everything  in  a  gen- 
eral way  and  many  things  in  particular  that  you 
desire.  This  can  be  done  by  anyone  who  has 
the  intellect  to  understand  the  principles  and 
apply  the  laws  governing  human  minds. 

Not  only  must  an  executive  think  of  himself 
but  of  the  latent  faculties  of  all  his  employes. 

DEPTH  AND  POWER  OF  THE  MIND 

One  of  the  best  explanations  that  has  been 
made  of  the  conscious  and  subconscious  mind 
of  every  human  being  is  by  comparing  them  to 
coral  islands.  On  the  surface  there  is  a  little 
circular  ridge  of  red  rock  surrounding  a  lake  of 
shimmering  green  water  and  on  this  ledge  a 

(in 


fringe  of  tropic  vegetation,  This  is  all  there  is 
to  be  seen  on  the  surface  with  no  suggestion  of 
that  mighty  structure  extending  down  to  the 
ocean's  bed  built  by  uncountable  millions  of  coral 
creatures. 

The  human  mind  of  even  the  humblest  per- 
son is  like  this  coral  island.  It  is  built  up  with 
the  associated  sense  impressions  of  all  past  ex- 
periences. In  the  passing  moment,  certain  per- 
ceptions, emotions,  impulses  and  ideas  are 
sparkling  in  the  sunlight  of  consciousness. 

Under  the  surface  in  the  shadowy  realm 
of  the  subconscious  is  the  mind  that  governs 
the  breathing  and  the  heartbeat.  It  is  the 
mind  of  stored-up  memories  and  powers,  the 
mind  that  contains  the  germs  of  all  talents 
and  genius  for  future  achievements. 

It  is  this  subconscious  storehouse,  or  storage 
battery  it  might  be  called,  which  you  may  be 
able  to  set  into  action  in  your  own  case  or  in 
other  people.  An  executive  must  not  be  simply 
a  driver,  but  a  leader  and  developer  of  men  and 
women. 


DEVELOPING  LATENT  POWER 

As  a  means  of  strengthening  and  developing 
yourself  and  other  persons,  follow  these  rules: 

Eliminate  Fear  and  Depressing  Thoughts. 
Rule  1. — If  images  rise  in  your  mind,  in  which 
you  see  yourself  healthy,  successful  and  happy, 
they  tend  to  automatically  manifest  themselves 
in  such  outward  expressions  and  actions  of  body 
as  would  be  appropriate  to  your  part  in  the 
mind  picture.  At  the  same  time  they  release 

(12) 


emotions  of  health,  vigor,  capacity  and  power. 
So  cultivate  this  kind  of  thoughts. 

Rule  2. — On  the  other  hand,  if  mental 
images  of  misfortune,  disease,  death  and  fear 
rise  in  your  consciousness,  they  bring  along 
with  them  impulses  that  tend  to  retard  the  action 
of  your  heart,  liver,  lungs,  stomach  and  other 
vital  organs  and  to  restrain  all  bodily  action. 
They  also  bring  a  train  of  thoughts  of  dejection 
and  melancholy.  So  form  a  habit  of  eliminating 
this  class  of  thoughts  from  your  mind. 

The  vital  reason  for  forming  such  a  habit  is 
that  the  subconscious  mind  is  intimately  con- 
nected, through  the  sympathetic  nervous  system  T 
with  that  department  of  the  mind  which  directs 
the  nourishment  and  repair  of  the  body  and 
automatically  operates  the  vital  functions. 

Owing  to  this  fact,  it  will  be  seen  how 
important  it  is  to  keep  your  thoughts  in 
proper  channels,  else  they  will  speedily  poison 
the  whole  body. 

When  a  strong,  dominant  idea  is  held  in  the 
mind,  the  whole  mental  and  physical  system 
vibrates  in  unison  with  it,  and  a  person  feels 
the  thrill  of  buoyant  life.  Then  a  man  be- 
comes a  dynamo  of  energy. 

In  moments  of  doubt  and  perplexity,  an  ex- 
actly opposite  condition  prevails.  You  feel 
nerveless  and  listless.  The  reason  of  this  is  that 
several  conflicting  ideas  are  struggling  for  mas- 
tery of  the  subconscious  mind,  and  your  whole 
internal  make-up  is  like  a  troubled  sea  torn  by 
cross  currents. 

Rule  3. — It  then  remains  for  the  conscious 
mind  to  give  direction  and  stimulus  to  the  better 

(13) 


and  wiser  thoughts.  Once  these  thoughts  rise 
to  the  surface  of  this  troubled  whirlpool,  the  seas 
calm,  your  ship  takes  a  true  course,  the  heart 
throbs  strongly  and  you  are  on  your  way  to 
some  purpose. 

Here  is  a  big  point  for  business  men  and  even 
women  in  the  home  to  consider.  Get  command 
of  yourself  in  the  morning  and  keep  command 
of  yourself  all  day.  It  is  the  secret  of  efficiency, 
happiness  and  success.  It  is  one  of  the  most 
necessary  qualities  for  a  person  in  an  executive 
position. 

METHODS  OF  MIND  AND  BODY 
CONTROL 

Rule  4. — It  has  been  discovered  by  experi- 
ments and  experience  that  the  period  just  pre- 
ceding sleep,  and  just  after  awaking,  when  the 
conscious  mind  is  free  from  any  dominating 
thought,  that  the  subconscious  mind  is  then 
most  susceptible  of  being  influenced. 

If  at  such  times  you  think  of  the  thing 
you  most  desire,  that  desire  will  sink  deeply 
into  your  subconsciousness,  and  a  whole  train 
of  ideas  and  emotions  will  be  set  to  work  to 
realize  that  desire,  without  any  conscious 
effort  on  your  part.  This  desire  may  be  health 
or  any  material  object.  Here  we  have  ar- 
rived at  a  law  that  is  of  vital  importance. 

Rule  5. — Another  time  when  commands 
may  be  sent  to  the  subconscious  mind  is  just 
before  or  after  periods  of  intense  application, 
when  the  mind  for  an  instant  is  "vacant,"  as 
we  say,  and  not  under  the  control  of  any  strong 
idea.  By  introducing  thoughts  and  commands 

(14) 


about  our  desires  we  readily  impress  them  on  our 
subconscious  mind. 

Rule  6. — If  you  can  control  your  trend  of 
thought,  you  can  regulate  the  operation  of  your 
bodily  functions  through  your  subconscious 
mind.  You  can  thus  command  physical  effi- 
ciency and  keep  yourself  free  from  functional 
disease.  More  than  this,  you  can  determine  the 
whole  trend  of  your  life  by  deciding  what  kind 
of  ideas  shall  be  summoned  from  the  subcon- 
scious and  made  the  dominant  note  of  your 
character.  This  control  can  be  exerted  to  main- 
tain health,  to  achieve  success  in  business  affairs 
and  to  attain  happiness. 

Rule  7. — If  you  can  find  a  way  to  determine 
the  substance  of  your  thoughts,  you  have  gained 
the  secret  of  controlling  your  life.  This  can  be 
done  by  putting  forth  the  ideas  that  will  aid 
your  purpose  and  eliminating  all  that  will  be 
antagonistic  to  it.  When  you  have  learned  how 
to  do  this  you  will  be  master  of  your  own  des- 
tiny. You  will  be  able  to  assemble  your  re- 
sources, plan  your  campaign  of  achievement  and 
move  forward  to  achievement  as  methodically 
as  a  major-general  carries  out  a  military  move- 
ment. 

The  object  of  this  course  is  to  give  you  a  code 
that  will  enable  you  to  determine  the  trend  of 
your  thoughts  and  actions.  With  this  code  you 
can  live  a  highly  efficient  life,  without  strain  or 
effort,  and  realize  from  day  to  day  its  compensa- 
tion in  happiness,  health  and  a  reasonable 
amount  of  material  gains.  The  code  which  we 
will  give  you  must  be  built  up  unit  by  unit.  We 
have  already  given  you  three  principles. 

(15) 


FORMULA  FOR  MIND  POWER 
BUILDING 

We  will  now  add  the  following  formula: 
At  night,  just  before  retiring,  turn  all  your     ^ 
attention  upon  the  depths  of  your  mind.    De-     \ 
sire  to  arouse  the  strongest  elements  of  your 
subconscious  personality. 

Repeat  this  occasionally  during  the  day 
when  you  have  a  moment  or  two  of  mte*- 
mission  in  your  work. 


Couple  this  demand  on  your  subconscious 
mind  with  a  desire  for  some  great  object,  land 
also  for  the  mental  poise  and  tranquillity 
which  will  give  you  happiness. 

Desire  deeply  the  full  and  harmonious  ex- 
pression of  all  the  energies  and  forces  in  your 
personality,  which  will  fit  you  for  ra  position 
of  influence  and  leadership.  Take  some  action 
each  day  leading  toward  your  chosen  object. 

When  we  believe  we  can  do  certain  things 
the  subconscious  mind  concentrates  all  the 
latent  powers  of  the  system  into  the  faculty 
required  to  do  the  things  we  have  planned. 


Your  deeper  mind  will  work  for  you  while 
you  sleep,  as  well  as  when  you  are  awake  and 
toiling  with  the  sordid  things  of  life.  By  fol- 
lowing the  above  rules  you  will  rapidly  develop 
executive  power  and  personality. 

In  the  next  lesson  methods  for  systematizing 
your  office,  shop  or  home  will  be  given,  leading 
to  a  high  degree  of  personal  efficiency  and  tend- 
ing  to  reduce  the  stress  and  strain  of  every- 
day  life. 

(16) 


Systematizing  Office,  Shop 
or  Home 

MIND  POWER  BUILDING  SERIES 
Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Hey  wood 

LECTURE  IV 


IN  THE  first  three  lectures  of  this   course 
we  have  stated  how  a  man  of  any  age  can 
get   command   of  faculties  that  will  start 
him  on  the  road  to  high  achievement  through 
the  right  use  of  mind  and  body.     It  has  been 
shown  how  the  exercise  of  these  faculties  brings 
greater  results  with  less  effort  and  tends  to 
eliminate  worry  and  fatigue. 

We  shall  now  take  up  methods  of  applying 
system  to  your  day's  work.  These  methods  are 
designed  to  save  time,  to  enable  a  hard  day's 
work  to  be  done  easily  and  without  stress  and 
strain.  We  are  going  to  begin  at  a  vital  point 
— your  desk  or  work  bench.  A  woman  can  ap- 
ply these  rules  to  her  writing  table  and  to  every 
department  of  the  home. 

The  desk  has  two  uses,  first  a  table  on  which 
to  work  and  second  a  place  in  which  to  keep 
"tools"  and  "work"  in  an  prderly  fashion. 

A  desk  should  not  be  a  junk  heap  or  a  rem- 
nant counter  for  unassorted  material.  It  should 
be  a  business  work  bench  and  every  square  inch 
of  its  surface  and  every  corner  and  compart- 
ment of  its  drawers  should  be  devoted  to  holding 
just  such  things  as  are  needed  for  the  day's 
work  and  no  more. 


LETTER  RACK 


Desk  arranged  in  orderly  system  with  everything 
right  at  hand. 

It  is  the  mark  of  a  alovenly  and  incompetent 
workman  when  you  see  a  carpenter  who  throws 
all  his  tools  helter-skelter  into  a  tool  chest  at 
night  and  leaves  some  of  them  buried  in  the 
chips  and  shavings  of  his  day's  work.  He  loses 
a  half  hour's  time  the  next  morning  in  starting 
his  work  and  is  nervous  and  flurried  before  he 
has  done  a  thing. 

The  same  thing  applies  with  even  greater 
force  to  the  office  man.  The  debris  of  the  day's 
work  should  be  cleared  away  after  it  is  finished. 
Don't  permit  the  chips  and  shavings  of  your 
work  to  pile  up  in  drawers  and  pigeon  holes. 
Don't  allow  matters  that  are  "dead"  to  cover  up 
"live"  stuff  that  you  want  to  work  with  and 
refer  to  constantly.  So  make  your  desk  an  or- 
derly work  bench,  with  every  tool  in  its  proper 
place  and  nothing  in  its  compartments  that  has 

(2) 


DAY'S  WORK  FOLDER 


Compartment  folder  for  systematizing  the  day's  work 

no  daily  use.     This  is  the  beginning  of  system 
in  any  office,  shop  or  home. 

Since  this  is  a  foundation  principle  we  will 
start  housecleaning  and  office  cleaning  right 
here.  Let  us  begin  with  the  deep  lower  right- 
hand  drawer  of  your  desk,  for  that  is  generally 
filled  with  dusty  uncertainties.  Is  there  really 
any  use  for  that  jumble  of  newspapers,  books 
and  bundles  of  papers  piled  in  a  foot  deep?  If 
you  had  to  locate  instantly  a  contract  you  put 
there  a  week  ago,  could  you  put  your  hand  down 
into  that  pile  and  pull  it  up  with  a  smile? 
Probably  the  opposite  would  occur.  Very  well, 
then,  clear  out  the  junk,  put  the  things  else- 
where under  the  proper  classification  or  throw 

(3) 


them  away  and  save  time  and  worry  in  the 
future.  There  is  a  good  use  to  make  of  this  big 
space  which  we  shall  outline  in  a  moment. 

Now  turn  your  attention  to  the  smaller  lower 
drawer  on  the  left-hand  side.  How  often  have 
you  had  occasion  to  consult  a  single  one  of  the 
catalogs  and  what-nots  that  you  have  been 
throwing  in  there  for  months?  Then  clear  those 
out  also  and  put  them  somewhere  else  in  a 
special  file  if  they  are  worth  while.  Use  that 
space  for  something  that  you  need  to  consult 
often. 

ANALYZE  AND  CLASSIFY  THINGS 

Now  let  us  get  down  to  a  real  system  for  the 
whole  desk.  The  first  principles  are  classifica- 
tion; everything  right  at  hand  and  everything 
always  in  the  same  place.  A  disorderly  desk 
means  a  disorderly  mind,  things  overlooked  and 
forgotten  and  consequent  distress  of  mind.  This 
can  all  be  avoided  by  considering  four  essential 
points  and  regulating  the  desk  accordingly. 
First,  the  unfinished  matters  which  you  are  now 
working  on.  Second,  matters  pending  or  bills 
and  other  affairs  to  be  attended  to  at  some 
future  date.  Third,  completed  matters,  letters, 
etc.,  that  have  been  attended  to  that  should  be 
filed,  mailed  or  passed  on  to  some  one  else. 
Fourth,  your  working  tools,  stationery,  clips, 
shears,  ruler,  pens  and  ink,  etc. 

Let  us  begin  with  the  first  classification :  mat- 
ers that  you  are  working  on  and  that  must  be 
completed  today.  These  should  not  be  placed 
in  the  desk  drawers  at  all,  but  kept  on  top  and 
placed  in  a  folder  called  the  "Day's  Work." 
This  can  be  subdivided  into  sections  labeled 
"Letters  to  Be  Answered,"  "Things  to  Be 
Done,"  "Take  up  with  B,"  and  so  on. 

(4) 


The  rest  of  the  unfinished  work,  while  it 
should  not  be  kept  on  top  of  the  desk,  should 
be  placed  as  near  at  hand  as  possible.  For  just 
•as  quickly  as  you  clear  up  the  "  Day's  Work" 
folder  you  want  to  go  at  the  rest  of  your  unfin- 
ished work.  So  it  is  well  to  have  another  folder 
labeled  "Unfinished  Work."  This  should  be 
placed  in  the  upper  right-hand  drawer  so  that 
It  can  be  reached  with  one  movement  of  the 
right  hand. 

There  is  still  another  kind  of  unfinished  work 
which  causes  a  great  deal  of  mental  trouble  and 
desk  confusion.  These  are  papers  which  it  is 
desirable  to  hold  over  for  some  future  use  or 
consideration.  Put  such  things  in  a  "Hold 
Over"  file.  This  file  should  be  put  in  the  second 
right-hand  drawer. 

With  three-quarters  of  your  desk  work  sys- 
tematized it  now  remains  to  add  a  device  to  take 
care  of  things  you  have  already  done  and  are 
ready  to  pass  on  to  someone  else  or  to  be  posted. 
For  this  purpose  we  would  suggest  a  three- 
decker  wire  basket  or  a  messenger  rack,  with 
three  sections,  marked  "Letters  to  Mail,"  "For 
Mr.  J."  or  "Mr.  M."  Into  each  compartment 
lay  the  various  papers  or  letters  and  let  your 
office  boy  or  secretary  distribute  them. 

We  now  come  to  the  important  use  to  make 
of  the  deep  drawer.  It  is  to  take  your  personal 
correspondence  out  of  the  vertical  file  in  an- 
other part  of  the  office  and  to  place  it  in  a  set  of 
folders  right  at  your  arm's  reach.  Consider  the 
economy  and  ease  of  being  able  to  reach  down 
with  your  right  hand,  pull  out  a  drawer  and 
with  three  motions  get  at  any  paper  without 
having  to  lose  any  time  or  move  from  your  desk 
chair. 

(5) 


It  now  remains  to  take  care  of  the  useful 
little  things.  The  ruler,  shears,  blotter,  pens, 
clips,  memo  slips  or  tickler  cards,  pins,  etc., 
should  be  near  at  hand  in  the  wide  shallow 
middle  drawer.  It  will  pay  any  man  to  have  it 


Private  correspondence  in  follow-up  file  for  lower 

right  hand  deep  drawer;  get-at-able  with  three 

motions  of  your  hands. 

(6) 


arranged  in  compartments  as  shown  in  our 
diagram.  This  avoids  throwing  things  into  con- 
fusion with  the  opening  and  closing  of  the 
drawer. 

EVERYTHING  RIGHT  AT  HAND 

There  are  now  four  drawers  on  the  left  avail- 
able for  other  purposes.  The  top  drawer  should 
be  used  for  a  brain  box  or  tickler,  which  we 
shall  explain  later  on.  The  second  left-hand 
drawer  is  a  good  place  to  put  stationery  and 
scratch  pads.  The  next  drawer  may  be  used 
for  catalogs  and  advertising  matter  concerning 


Form  of  card  index  for  memory  "tickler,"  with  31 

cards  tabbed  for  days  of  month  and  12  cards 

for  months  of  year. 

supplies  which  it  may  be  desirable  to  order  from 
at  an  early  date.  The  bottom  drawer  is  a  good 
place  for  other  printed  matter  which  may  con- 
tain suggestions  for  advertising,  selling  cam- 
paigns or  general  publicity  and  promotion  work 
which  you  may  like  to  refer  to  in  moments  of 
leisure.  These  lower  drawers  will  need  a  little 
rearranging  and  keeping  orderly  and  up  to  date 
once  or  twice  a  month. 

With  the  new  desk  system  inaugurated,  you 
are  now  ready  for  vigorous  action  and  are 
fitted  to  accomplish  more  with  greater  ease  and 
shorter  hours  than  before.  Some  men  have 

(7) 


doubled  their  capacity  by  this  system  and  short- 
ened their  working  time  20  per  cent. 

In  following  lectures  we  shall  take  up  the 
subject  of  Memory  and  go  into  further  details 
about  an  Aid-to-Memory  sj^stem  to  use  in  con- 
nection with  these  desk  methods  outlined  in  this 
lecture. 

If  you  have  no  desk  and  are  an  outside  man, 
there  still  is  a  vest-pocket  and  coat-pocket  sys- 
tem that  can  be  used  with  tremendous  help  to 
you  in  doing  your  work  and  bringing  mental 
poise  and  relief  from  worry  and  strain. 

QUESTIONS,  LECTURES  III  AND  IV. 

1.  Why  is  there  a  greater  demand  now  for 
trained  minds? 

2.  How    can    a    person    develop    executive 
ability? 

3.  How  can  you  eliminate  timidity  and  de- 
pressing thought? 

4.  Do  you  make  a  practice  of  getting  com- 
mand of  yourself  every  morning  and  in  just 
what  way? 

5.  How  are  you  using  the  rules  for  keeping 
yourself  in  good  physical  condition? 

6.  Are  you  planning  a  campaign  of  achieve- 
ment, and  along  what  lines? 

7.  Just  how  are  you  applying  the  formula  for 
mind  power  building? 

8.  What  is  the  foundation  principle  of  system 
and  efficiency  in  office,  shop  or  home? 

9.  How  are  you  using  the  principles  and 
methods  outlined  in  this  lesson  for  desk  work, 
in  shop  or  home? 

10.  What  degree  or  percentage  of  increased 
efficiency  do  you  estimate  you  have  gained  from 
applying  these  methods? 

(8) 


Training  the  Memory 

MIND  POWER  BUILDING  SERIES 
Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Heywood 


LECTURE  V 


THE  first  four  lectures  of  this  course  have 
shown  that  your  mind  is  a  definite,  meas- 
urable force,  and  an  instrument  of  great 
power  which  you  can  use  to  attain  any  desired 
objects  in  life.     This  knowledge  can  be  applied 
very  effectively  in  developing  memory. 

In  beginning  memory  training  you  should 
understand  that  memory  is  a  mechanical  pro- 
cess. If  you  have  a  knowledge  of  just  how 
memory  images  are  made  in  your  brain  and  the 
mechanism  by  which  they  may  be  recalled, 
memory  cultivation  becomes  easy  and  very  in- 
teresting. 

All  impressions  that  reach  the  brain  from  the 
skin,  eyes,  ears,  nose,  tongue,  or  any  other  part 
of  the  body  go  in  through  nerves  and  leave  a 
definite  mark  on  the  brain.  Our  every-day  ex- 
periences, what  we  see,  hear,  smell,  taste  and 
feel,  are  conveyed  by  nerve  currents  entering 
the  brain  and  leaving  indentations  on  the  brain 
cells.  The  number  of  these  cells  of  the  brain  is 
computed  to  be  something  like  a  hundred  mil- 
lion. Each  of  these  cells  acts  virtually  like  a 
phonographic  cylinder  for  recording  and  keep- 
ing a  memory  picture  for  future  use  and  repro- 
duction at  the  call  of  the  mind. 

I  The  brain  of  the  adult  is  a  record  of  the  ex- 
periences of  life  through  which  the  mind  moves 
in  a  manner  similar  to  a  phonographic  needle 

CD 


going  over  the  indented  wax  cylinder.  Going 
back  over  the  old  impressions  has  the  effect  of 
recalling  the  images  of  the  things  of  which  the 
original  impressions  were  made.  However,  the 
brain  is  not  entirely  like  a  phonograph  wax 
cylinder.  Its  substance  is  live,  plastic  and  some- 
what elastic.  The  impressions  made  by  ingoing 
nerve  currents  are  deepest  just  after  the  mak- 
ing. The  brain  matter  in  the  cell  gradually 
springs  back,  but  in  most  instances  it  can  never 
recover  so  far  as  to  obliterate  the  trace  of  the 
impression  entirely.  If  it  could  we  should  re- 
member nothing.  As  it  is  we  recall  best  within 
a  few  minutes  after  an  experience.  After 
twenty  minutes  the  recoil  of  the  matter  has 
almost  been  completed.  Names  and  other  things 
that  we  can  remember  that  long  are  pretty  sure 
to  remain  with  us  indefinitely. 

These  brain  records  are  what  constitute  the 
subconscious  mind,  which  is  your  memory 
mind.  If  you  will  bear  this  simple  fact  in 
mind,  it  will  be  a  great  help  in  developing  the 
memory  faculty. 

KEY  TO  THE  MIND'S  MIGHTY 
STOREHOUSE 

Your  subconscious  mind  really  is  the  store- 
house of  all  the  knowledge,  and  all  the  impres- 
sions you  have  ever  heard,  seen,  felt  or  even 
thought.  It  is  your  memory  mind.  It  even 
goes  beyond  this  and  embodies  all  the  hereditary 
traits  of  all  your  ancestors,  and  all  the  primi- 
tive instincts  of  the  race.  Instincts  are  really 
the  inherited  memory  from  our  ancestors. 

What  a  wonderful  storehouse  to  draw  from; 
the  fighting,  aggressive  powers  of  your  ances- 

(2) 


tors  that  you  need  in  emergencies;  the  emo- 
tional fire  to  nerve  you  up  to  great  deeds;  the 
staying  powers  that  have  sustained  your  pro- 
genitors in  the  age-long  struggle  upward  to  the 
present  plane;  the  ambition  of  your  greatest 
ancestor;  the  idealism  of  the  sweetest  women 
and  noblest  men  of  your  race.  They  are  all 
there,  stored  away  in  your  subconscious  mind 
and  brain.  You  only  need  the  key  to  unlock 
that  treasure  house.  Cultivating  the  memory 
will  help  you  to  use  your  reserve  powers. 

The  practical  value  of  a  knowledge  of  the 
subconscious  mind  can  be  demonstrated  at  once 
by  using  it  in  memory  and  recall.  It  has  been 
shown  that  everything  ever  seen  or  heard  is 
stored  away  in  the  subconscious  mind  like  a 
record  on  a  phonographic  disk.  In  order  to 
recall  any  past  impression,  such  as  the  name  of  a 
person,  it  is  only  necessary  to  revive  the  original 
impression  made  on  the  brain. 

One  effective  way  of  doing  this  is  to  say  to 
yourself,  "I  want  to  recall  that  name."  and 
put  yourself  in  an  attitude  of  mind  expecting 
the  name  to  come  to  your  lips.  If  it  does  not 
come  at  once  do  not  fret  or  worry  about  it. 
Say:  "Never  mind,  it  will  come  soon.  I  want 
that  name,"  as  if  you  were  giving  an  order  to 
a  subordinate.  Then  dismiss  the  matter  and 
go  on  with  some  other  subject  of  thought. 

The  message  has  gone  down  to  your  sub- 
conscious mind  and  its  faculties  are  at  work 
striving  to  revive  the  original  impression.  If 
the  name  does  not  come  to  you  when  the  subject 
occurs  to  you  again,  try  a  few  of  the  following 
devices  to  help  your  latent  faculties  revive  it. 

Think  over  the  letters  of  the  alphabet  and  try- 
to  recall  what  was  the  first  letter  of  the  person's 

(3) 


name,  forming  your  lips  as  if  to  pronounce  the 
name  if  it  began  with  A,  B,  C,  etc.  You  will 
probably  get  an  impression  of  the  right  letter. 
If  it  is  M,  keep  repeating  M.  Move  your  lips 
and  try  to  connect  the  name  with  it.  If  this 
device  does  not  bring  the  name,  again  dismiss 
the  subject  with  the  thought,  "It  will  come." 
In  due  course  of  time  the  name  will  pop  up  into 
your  consciousness  like  a  cork  rising  to  the  sur- 
face of  water. 

You  can  soon  get  your  mind  so  trained  that 
you  can  recall  almost  anything,  names,  figures, 
phrases,  quotations,  or  any  other  classes  of 
recollections  that  are  of  practical  use  to  you. 
This  will  give  you  a  sense  of  confidence  in  your 
mental  powers  that  will  be  as  exhilarating  to 
you  as  the  development  of  a  new  set  of  muscles 
by  an  athlete.  It  is  well  to  have  a  little  fuller 
knowledge  of  the  laws  governing  memory  in 
order  to  get  the  best  results. 

VALUE  OF  VIVID  FIRST  IMPRESSIONS 

It  has  already  been  explained  that  the  brain 
is  similar  to  the  wax  cylinder  of  a  phonograph. 
On  this  plastic  surface  are  recorded  all  the  in- 
coming impressions  brought  by  nerve  currents. 
These  impressions  are  strongest  just  after  the 
making.  The  stronger  the  first  impression  the 
deeper  is  the  impress  made  on  the  brain,  and  the 
easier  it  will  be  to  recall  it  at  some  future  time. 

For  this  reason  take  particular  pains  to  get  a 
strong,  distinct  impression  of  the  names  of 
people  you  meet  and  are  introduced  to.  That  is 
the  first  step  in  establishing  a  good  memory, 
see  that  you  understand  a  person's  name  clearly, 
distinctly,  before  it  is  pigeonholed  in  the  brain. 
Pay  special  attention  to  the  names  of  the  friends 

(4) 


present  at  the  time  of  meeting  and  note  any- 
thing that  is  distinctive  about  the  new  acquaint- 
ance. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  write  down  a  name  or 
have  it  spelled  to  you  if  it  is  an  unusual  one. 
When  you  want  to  recall  this  person's  name  at 
a  future  time,  if  it  does  not  come  into  your 
mind  at  once,  recall  the  names  of  your  friends 
whom  he  was  with,  and  the  other  circumstances 
of  the  first  meeting.  This  will  nearly  always 
lead  up  to  his  name  coming  into  your  mind. 

The  reason  for  this  is  that  there  are  connec- 
tions between  the  impressions  on  the  brain,  due 
to  the  fact  that  these  kindred  impressions  were 
made  at  the  same  time.  Each  impression  or 
brain  path  represents  an  image  or  idea  in  the 
mind  and  the  clearness  and  ease  of  recollection 
depends  upon  the  strength  of  the  impression, 
and  the  brain  pathways  leading  to  it.  If  the 
paths  are  deep  and  well  defined  your  memory 
will  be  good.  If  they  are  shallow  and  indis- 
tinct, recollection  will  be  difficult.  If  the  paths 
are  all  distinct  the  mind,  after  finding  one  of 
these  paths,  can  quickly  run  over  the  whole 
network  and  find  the  particular  dent  that  spells 
the  name  or  the  object  desired. 

KEEP  THE  PHYSICAL  SENSES  KEEN 

In  order  to  have  strong  impressions  made 
on  the  brain  it  is  vitally  necessary  to  have  all 
the  physical  faculties  keen,  such  as  sight  and 
hearing.  Any  defect  in  these  senses  is  apt  to 
result  in  blurred  impressions  on  the  brain,  and 
consequently  poor  memory  and  impaired  men- 
tality. Defective  eyesight  and  hearing  also  are 
now  so  easily  corrected,  by  means  of  glasses 
and  ear  contrivances,  that  no  one  should  over- 

(5) 


loak  these  matters,  either  for  himseTf ,  his  family 
or  his  employes.  A  great  deal  of  the  mental 
backwardness  of  employes  and  children  is  due 
to  some  physical  defects  that  could  be  cured. 

Another  factor  that  assists  greatly  in  making 
a  good  memory  is  the  number  of  brain  paths 
that  lead  up  to  a  certain  impression.  If  the  same 
thing  happens  to  you,  or  you  see  the  same  thing 
several  times  under  different  circumstances,  this 
thing  will  be  imprinted  upon  the  brain  in  several 
ways.  Some  of  these  markings  will  cross  each 
other,  and  the  mind,  searching  for  this  object, 
will  be  led  to  it  through  several  different  chan- 
nels. This  is  a  very  important  point,  for  the 
study  of  mental  action  indicates  that  the  mind 
does  not  readily,  if  ever,  leave  the  paths  already 
made.  If  an  impression  of  an  idea  has  only  one 
path  it  will  be  more  difficult  for  the  mind  to 
trace  its  way  to  an  idea  than  as  if  there  were 
numerous  paths  leading  to  the  seat  of  this  idea. 

From  these  facts  we  can  draw  a  very  prac- 
tical conclusion  for  use  in  everyday  life.  If 
you  wish  to  remember  things  well  you  must 
consider  that  recollection  is  the  result  of  the 
mind  having  access  and  free  use  of  a  good  set 
of  impressions  on  the  brain.  This  is  what  makes 
up  what  we  term  "Experience,"  which  is  simply 
a  large  assortment  of  brain  impressions.  Good 
memory  is  a  mind  that  has  rich  and  sharply  de- 
fined experiences  to  reproduce  on  call. 

CULTIVATING  ATTENTION 

To  make  your  memory  images  clear  the  fac- 
ulty of  Attention  should  be  cultivated.  Atten- 
tion focuses  the  spotlight  of  the  mind  on  what- 
ever  you  direct  it,  whether  it  be  a  face  or  a 
name,  a  picture,  an  argument  or  an  assortment 

(6) 


of  goods  In  a  store  or  a  window.  While  the 
spotlight  of  attention  is  playing  upon  an  object 
or  a  set  of  objects,  every  detail  of  the  scene  is 
photographed  on  the  retina  of  the  eye  and  in 
the  brain  cells  that  record  this  image.  The  pic- 
ture thus  formed  will  be  as  vivid  as  a  film  nega- 
tive and  ready  for  recall  at  any  time. 

This  is  really  an  easy  faculty  to  acquire.  It 
does  not  require  much  effort  of  mind;  in  fact, 
a  certain  passivity  of  mind  is  requisite.  Some 
detectives  have  a  way  of  casting  their  eyes  about 
a  room  or  a  building  in  a  dreamy  kind  of  way 
that  sometimes  looks  stupid,  and  of  watching 
people  in  a  crowd  or  on  the  street  in  the  same 
manner,  and  forming  impressions  that  are 
almost  infallible.  Any  person  can  form  the 
habit  of  paying  attention  to  things  that  interest 
him  or  are  of  value  to  him  so  that  he  can  recall 
such  things  whenever  desired,  with  the  greatest 
ease. 

REMEMBERING  NUMBERS 

If  you  want  to  remember  a  number,  listen  to 
it  when  spoken,  speak  it,  write  it  and  look  at  the 
written  figures.  Form  a  distinct  mental  picture 
of  it.  Pronounce  it  in  rhythmic  form,  two  or 
three  digits  at  a  time,  like  22,  57.  Or  speak  it 
in  the  easiest  verbal  form,  as  nineteen  nineteen. 

Many  elaborate  memory  systems  have  been 
devised,  requiring  hard  and  tedious  study.  They 
often  weary  the  mind  without  doing  any  particu- 
lar good.  Try  the  simple  system  we  have  out- 
lined. Call  upon  the  subconscious  mind  for 
whatever  you  wish  and  make  your  brain  im- 
pressions from  this  time  on  as  clear  and  distinct 
as  possible.  You  will  find  that  your  memory 
will  improve  and  you  will  take  a  positive  zest  in 
training  and  using  your  mind  and  memory. 

(7) 


Many  persons  who  find  their  memory  appar- 
ently failing  become  alarmed  and  think  that 
there  is  something  organically  wrong  with  their 
brain,  indicating  a  loss  of  retentiveness.  The 
actual  cause  is  the  loss  of  interest  in  the  things 
around  them  or  in  ideals  and  ambitions.  Their 
poorer  memory  is  the  result  of  failure  to  form 
vivid  impressions  of  the  things  seen,  heard,  felt 
and  tasted.  The  brain  is  just  as  good  as  ever 
and  just  as  capable  of  rendering  good  service 
up  to  extreme  old  age. 

Interest  is  a  mental  quality.  It  springs  from 
desire.  So  the  thing  to  do  is  to  desire  much, 
just  as  you  did  in  youth.  That  will  keep  your 
memory  young  and  will  keep  you  young. 

An  essential  thing  in  developing  a  good  mem- 
ory is  to  have  good  functional  health.  A  little 
later  on  we  shall  take  up  health  culture  as  a  vital 
factor  in  personal  efficiency.  At  this  point  we 
shall  merely  consider  the  matter  of  health  in 
its  relation  to  memory.  The  first  step  toward 
getting  good,  vigorous  health  is  to  eliminate  fear 
and  depressing  thoughts  and  think  and  act  along 
constructive  lines. 

You  may  have  observed  that  when  people  get 
sick  they  are  not  able  to  recall  things,  and  when 
they  get  better  their  memory  comes  back  to 
them.  So  it  is  good  business  policy  to  keep  well, 
or  if  you  are  sick  to  make  a  business  of  getting 
well  just  as  soon  as  possible.  The  WILL  can 
work  wonders  in  this  line.  Will  Power  and 
command  over  yourself  is  an  important  element 
in  memory  training. 

You  have  doubtless  learned  your  power  of 
command  over  yourself  in  one  particular  way. 
You  have  found  that  if  you  make  up  your  mind 
to  wake  up  at  a  certain  time  in  the  morning 
you  will  awake  almost  at  the  precise  minute,  no 

(8) 


matter  at  what  time  you  went  to  bed.  This  is 
a  form  of  memory;  it  is  remembering  to  wake 
up.  It  shows  how  the  unconscious  or  the  sub- 
conscious mind  obeys  orders  given  to  it.  You 
must  have  been  impressed  by  the  mysterious 
power  within  you  which  could  do  this.  You  can 
apply  this  method  in  many  ways  and  get  that 
same  sense  of  power  in  whatever  field  or  direc- 
tion you  turn  your  mind. 

A  young  woman  who  has  studied  this  mem- 
ory lesson  got  a  great  inspiration  from  this  sug- 
gestion, and  she  writes  us : 

"This  has  brought  to  me  a  fuller  realization 
of  my  power  than  anything  I  have  heard  or 
read  for  a  long  time.  I  have  practiced  this 
method  of  awakening  in  the  morning  for  a  num- 
ber of  years  and  if  I  lie  down  for  a  nap  of  thirty 
to  forty-five  minutes  I  give  the  command  that  I 
shall  awake  at  a  certain  time.  I  then  go  to  sleep 
and  invariably  wake  up  at  almost  exactly  the 
right  minute.  Since  this  is  a  form  of  memory, 
I  can  begin  to  see  how  large  a  field  there  is  for 
a  person  to  apply  it  and  the  opportunity  it  pre- 
sents for  training  the  memory.  This  had  not 
occurred  to  me  before  as  a  form  of  memory  and 
I  am  certainly  glad  to  have  it  presented  in  that 
light.  I  do  not  think  I  ever  exactly  understood 
why  or  how  I  was  able  to  do  this,  but  I  just  did 
it.  I  am  sure  this  knowledge  will  be  very  useful 
to  me  in  the  future  and  a  source  of  increasing 
power  and  capacity." 

MEMORY  METHODS  FOR  THE  YOUNG 

The  teachers  of  India  have  long  recognized 
the  value  of  memory,  attention  and  concentra- 
tion and  applied  it  practically  to  their  pupils. 
The  "Play  of  the  Jewels,"  as  applied  to  two 

(9) 


boys,  aptly  illustrates  this  point.  The  one  had 
been  taught  to  see  things  accurately,  to  dis- 
criminate and  to  remember,  and  the  other  had 
not.  In  testing  the  boys  the  teacher  takes  from 
a  table  drawer  a  handful  of  gem  stones  and 
throws  them  upon  a  tray.  "Now,  boys,"  he 
says,  "when  you  have  counted  and  handled  and 
examined  them  so  that  you  can  remember  all 
about  them,  I  will  cover  them  with  this  paper 
and  you  are  then  to  write  about  them." 

After  the  stones  were  covered  up  the  untrained 
boy  wrote:  "There  are  fifteen  stones,  five  blue 
ones,  one  big  stone,  one  smaller  and  three  very 
small  ones.  There  is  one  yellow  stone  that  I 
saw  and  one  like  a  pipe  stem.  There  are  two  red 
stones,  and — I  made  the  count  fifteen,  but  two 
I  have  forgotten.  No,  give  me  time.  One  was 
ivory,  little  and  brownish—"  and  he  shook  his 
head.  He  could  not  remember. 

The  other  boy  then  read  his  test  essay: 
"First,  there  are  two  flawed  sapphires,  one  of 
two  rupees  and  one  of  four  rupees  value,  I 
judge.  The  two-rupee  stone  is  chipped  at  the 
edge.  There  is  one  Turkestan  turquoise,  plain 
with  green  veins,  and  there  are  two  inscribed 
with  the  name  of  God  in  gold.  We  have  five 
blue  stones,  four  flawed  emeralds,  but  one  is 
dulled,  and  there  is  one  ruby  of  Burmah,  one 
carved  ivory  figure  and  a  ball  of  crystal."  The 
test  was  perfect. 

The  teacher  turned  to  the  untrained  boy  and 
said:  "He  has  you  beaten;  he  is  your  master 
because  he  can  remember."  "That  isn't  fair," 
the  boy  retorted.  "I  don't  know  anything  about 
stones  and  he  does,"  and  he  added  that  if  the 
teacher  would  give  him  something  about  horses 
or  any  other  subject  he  could  remember  as  well 

(10) 


as  the  other  boy.  The  teacher  then  gathered 
odds  and  ends  of  things  about  the  room,  put 
them  into  a  pile  and  repeated  the  tests  for  the 
boys.  The  result  was  the  same.  The  boy  who 
had  been  trained  wrote  out  a  practically  perfect 
answer.  The  other  boy  saw  only  a  part  of  the 
things  and  those  imperfectly. 

This  shows  the  value  of  training  along  the 
lines  of  alertness,  attention,  observation  and 
memory.  That  is  why  we  have  taken  such 
pains  from  the  very  start  of  this  course  to  set 
forth,  repeat  and  keep  hammering  on  these 
points.  They  are  the  basis  of  all  proper  educa- 
tion, of  business  and  efficient  work  of  all  kinds. 
It  is  training  along  these  lines  that  has  devel- 
oped such  prodigies  as  the  little  son  of  Prof. 
Boris  Sidis,  who  was  fit  to  enter  Harvard  Col- 
lege at  the  age  of  12.  Many  other  similar  cases 
are  being  reported,  without  putting  any  strain 
upon  the  boys  or  girls. 

You  can  apply  these  points  every  day.  For 
instance,  you  know  that  there  is  a  tendency  for 
a  great  many  errors  to  appear  in  reports.  A 
judge  made  an  interesting  remark  the  other  day. 
He  said  that  when  people  come  into  court  those 
on  opposite  sides  of  a  case,  or  even  those  on 
the  same  side  of  the  case,  fail  to  tell  the  same 
story  about  the  simplest  things  that  had  oc- 
curred. If  a  certain  thing  happened  on  ship- 
board, he  said  he  would  not  expect  them  to  even 
remember  which  way  the  wind  blew  at  the  time. 
The  difficulty  is  not  so  much  with  the  memory 
as  with  the  lack  of  attention  and  observation. 
You  can  perhaps  best  improve  your  memory  by 
not  thinking  or  feeling  apprehensive  about  your 
memory  but  by  taking  care  of  how  you  see 
things  and  learn  things. 

cm 


HOW  TO  STUDY 

A  lawyer  who  rose  to  great  eminence  in  his 
profession  said  to  a  friend  that  he  found  that 
at  the  end  of  a  year  he  could  visualize  every- 
thing that  he  had  learned  during  that  year  and 
practically  all  the  details  of  every  case.  The 
friend  asked  him  how  he  could  do  this  and  the 
attorney  said  it  was  a  habit  he  had  acquired  in 
the  law  college.  When  he  studied  law  he  did 
it  with  the  idea  of  using  at  some  future  time 
everything  that  he  read.  His  colleagues  read 
more  than  he  did,  but  what  he  read  he  remem- 
bered. 

Improving  your  method  of  reading  and  study 
is  thus  one  of  the  secrets  of  good  memory. 
Many  people  read  entirely  too  much.  They 
cannot  digest  any  of  it.  It  is  what  you  digest 
and  apply  that  does  you  good.  Mere  reading 
may  be  a  mental  dissipation.  It  is  so  with  many 
people.  That  is  why  we  have  made  our  printed 
texts  and  instructions  brief,  so  that  you  may 
digest  and  apply  every  paragraph  of  them. 

CALLING  UP  LONG  FORGOTTEN 
THINGS. 

When  you  want  to  recall  something  which  is 
very  hard  to  remember,  put  yourself  in  the  same 
situation  you  were  in  when  you  first  heard,  saw 
or  studied.  Suppose  you  want  to  recall  some- 
thing you  learned  years  ago.  If  it  is  possible 
put  yourself  in  the  same  place,  with  the  same 
surroundings,  which  existed  when  you  first 
learned  it.  Get  yourself  in  the  same  attitude 
of  mind  you  were  in  at  the  time  you  originally 
learned  it.  This  will  bring  up  a  powerful  chain 
of  associations,  which  are  almost  certain  to  re- 
call the  things  you  wish  to  remember.  If  you 
cannot  duplicate  the  place  and  surroundings, 

(12) 


owing  to  time  and  distance,  make  the  conditions 
as  nearly  like  the  original  situation  as  possible. 
You  will  generally  succeed  in  bringing  to  mind 
what  you  wish  to  recollect. 

You  can  make  this  principle  and  method  serve 
you  in  a  very  practical  way.  Sitting  at  a  cer- 
tain desk,  you  can  easily  remember  all  the  things 
connected  with  that  department.  By  going  into 
another  room  or  even  to  another  desk  in  the 
same  room,  you  can  take  up  an  entirely  differ- 
ent line  of  thought,  work  or  planning  without 
any  strain  or  painful  effort.  The  new  associa- 
tions and  memories  carry  you  through  the  dif- 
erent  kinds  of  work  almost  automatically. 
Some  men  do  things  that  are  considered  mar- 
velous by  this  simple  method.  Sitting  in  a  cer- 
tain chair  at  a  certain  time  of  day  or  on  a  cer- 
tain date  will  bring  back  names  of  friends  or 
business  associates,  things  learned  long  ago — 
even  forgotten  speeches  and  poetry — with  a 
vividness  that  is  almost  uncanny. 

TESTING  YOUR  MEMORY. 

We  are  now  going  to  give  you  some  memory 
tests  so  you  can  guage  yourself  in  this  quality. 

Memory  Test  No.  1. — Read  this  list  of 
words  slowly  and  carefully  once,  then  turn  over 
the  page  and  try  to  repeat  them  in  the  proper 
order.  Then  repeat  them  as  nearly  as  you  can 
backward.  Write  down  the  names  as  you  repeat 
them  in  both  cases  and  compare  with  original 
list  and  see  how  many  you  have  got  correct  and 
in  proper  order: 

world  power  sunset  Washington 

sun  war  vigor  century 

star  might  Lincoln  future 

moon  light  great  universe 

electricity  night  liberty  freedom 

(13) 


Figure  out  your  percentage.  There  are 
twenty  words.  Each  word  counts  for  five.  If 
you  remember  fifteen  of  the  twenty  words,  you 
are  75  per  cent  perfect  in  memory.  That  is  fair; 
80  per  cent  is  good  and  90  per  cent  is  extra  good. 

Memory  Test  No.  2. 

A  few  days  after  taking  this  test  use  the 
more  elaborate  chart  test  shown  on  the  opposite 
page. 

This  is  a  fifty-word  test.  In  this  case  have 
someone  read  the  words  to  you,  slowly,  one  at 
a  time.  You  are  to  answer  by  giving  some  other 
word,  as  quickly  as  you  can,  while  the  other  per- 
son writes  down  the  answer  on  the  dotted  line 
opposite.  At  the  same  time  let  your  questioner 
write  down  the  time  it  took  you  to  answer — one 
second,  two  seconds,  or  more.  If  you  have  a 
stop-watch,  this  is  easily  done  and  the  time  can 
be  written  exactly  to  the  fifth  of  a  second.  The 
test  then  becomes  a  measure  of  your  alertness 
and  is  valuable  as  showing  your  mental  status 
as  explained  in  a  previous  lesson. 

After  your  questioner  has  gone  all  through 
the  list  and  written  down  all  your  answers,  let 
him  begin  at  the  first  word  in  the  printed  list, 
reading  that  again  and  asking  you  to  state  the 
answer  that  you  originally  gave, — putting  a 
cross  opposite  the  errors  which  you  make.  Then 
figure  out  your  percentage.  Do  not  read  this 
list  of  words  over  in  advance  with  the  idea  of 
memorizing  certain  answers,  for  that  would  de- 
feat the  object  of  the  test.  You  can  try  this 
chart  test  on  many  of  your  friends.  It  forms  an 
interesting  game.  Change  the  words  where 
there  are  several  present  so  that  each  one  will 
be  forced  to  give  original  answers. 

(14) 


HEYWOOD  SYSTEM  OF  PERSONAL  EFFICIENCY 

REACTION  TIME  TEST 


TIME: 

ANSWER 

TIME: 

ANSWER 

hat. 

_.         slow  

coat..  .. 

.„  remember... 

„  fun  

blue 

wild  

run 

..    _          sister  

head 

trae_  

-ooj  ... 

__     .  ._  _               laugh 

walk™  

clean. 

h*rt>r 

poor 

friend 

heart.  

stupid 

cry  — 
child.  



„  blood  

.............     ..«.„...._..........         money  „.., 



-  

false,  i 

.....  ...._...„.  ..„  _          forget 

body  

-su        „.         enemy 

think.  

parting 



_         long  
wife  
haf« 



lave.  _ 

............              strange  

tteal.     „ 

God 

bad 

sad 

dead 

quick  

lest 

„     .                      .           despise- 

mother  

hope 

RESUME 


Adaptability, 

Relationship  of  Ideas. Emotion 

Memory Date _^...191- 

Name „ ....Examiner 


(15) 


APPLICATION  OF  MEMORY  RULES. 

The  new  methods  of  memory  training  which 
are  set  forth  in  this  course  are  based  upon  the 
recent  psychological  discovery  that  everything 
a  person  has  ever  seen,  heard  or  felt,  or  knowl- 
edge acquired,  has  made  a  record  on  a  brain 
cell  or  nerve  cell  and  can  be  visualized  and  re- 
called if  the  proper  methods  be  used. 

A  business  man  who  has  applied  these  new 
methods  says:  "I  found  it  easy  to  visualize  a 
word,  to  see  it  before  me,  to  gGt  in  my  mind  the 
letters  in  that  word,  just  as  a  moving  picture  is 
thrown  upon  a  screen.  I  reasoned  from  this 
experience  that  I  could  do  the  same  with  any 
name,  face,  fact  or  figure  that  I  desired  to  recall. 

"So  I  began  to  train  myself,  as  you  direct, 
with  the  conscious  wish  and  determination  to 
visualize  everything  useful,  to  see  things  in  my 
mind's  eye.  I  made  a  deliberate  and  concen- 
trated effort,  which  soon  became  a  habit,  and 
was  easy  to  continue.  I  am  convinced  that  most 
forgetfulness  is  either  mental  laziness  or  igno- 
rance of  all  memory  rules  and  principles.  From 
not  using  the  memory,  a  person's  mental  muscles 
get  flabby.  A  man  must  make  the  conscious 
effort  to  remember,  just  as  he  would  make  the 
conscious  effort  to  strengthen  the  muscles  of  his 
body  by  training  in  a  gymnasium,  or  by  other 
physical  exercises.  I  am  convinced  that  any 
man  by  practice  can  make  his  memory  90  per 
cent  perfect." 

Improving  the  memory  thus  means  a  strength 
ening  of  the  whole  personality.  It  gives  a  per- 
son a  new  sense  of  physical  and  mental  tone. 
Cultivating  the  memory  along  these  lines  thus 
becomes  a  most  exhilarating  exercise  instead  of 
laborious  study. 

(16) 


First  Aids  to  Memory 

MIND  POWER  BUILD1NPG  SERIES 

Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Hey  wood 


LECTURE  VI 


CARRY  the  big:  things  in  your  head  aanf 
the  details  in  your  vest  poeket  is  air 
axiom  of  business.  Men  ai  the  head  of 
large  affairs  know  that  a  mind  burdened  with- 
details  is  not  efficient-  Ambitious  men  or  women* 
whose  attention  is  concentrated  on  big  things? 
acquire  a  habit  of  mind  that  tends  to  overlook 
routine  and  detail.  They  need  a  mechanical  help 
for  the  memory.  This  may  be  a  pocket  memo- 
randum, a>  ctesk  file,  ®  calendar  pad,  an  inexpen- 
sive pocket  book  or  some  other  contrivance. 
But  whatever  it  is,  the  person  should  adopt  a 
systematic  plan  of  using  it  and  then  follow  it 
conscientiously. 

The  simplest  form  of  desk  tickler  is  the  cal- 
endar pad  with  a  leaf  for  emcyrdssy  in  the  year. 
Entries  may  be  made  ahead  for  any  date.  At 
the  close  of  each  day  the  sheet  fois  flhat  date 
should  be,  removed  and  any  unfinished  items 
transferred  to  the  next  day's  list,  together  wit& 
all  other  foreseen*  duties.  Upon  reaching,  your 
diesk  the  next  morning,  you  see  tEe  day's*  pro- 
gram  staring,  at  you. 

An  improvement  on  the  desk  pad  is  the  brain 
box  or  card  tickler.  This  is  an  adaptation  of 
the  card  index  idea  and  does  away,  with  rewrite 
ing  items  on  the  pad.  Moreover,  anything  can 
be  inserted  at  tha  proper  dates,  visiting  or  busi- 
ness cards  or  memos  on  slips  of  paper.  This 
tickler,  need  ha  only  an  ordinary  3  by  5  card 

(10 


index  fitted  into  the  upper  left-hand  drawer  of 
the  desk,  indexed  with  the  thirty-one  days  of 
the  month  and  the  twelve  months  of  the  year. 

It  matters  not  how  trivial  a  task  may  be,  there 
should  be  a  tickler  note  of  it.  It  may  be  a 
promise,  financial  obligation,  appointment,  or 
date  of  shipment,  but  in  any  case  make  a  tickler 
memo  of  it.  Confide  to  the  tickler  the  responsi- 
bility of  bringing  it  to  your  attention  at  the  right 
time  and  then  relieve  your  mind  of  it. 

You  will  find  that  your  memory  is  strength- 
ened by  these  mechanical  aids  for  the  reason 
that  you  have  made  a  distinct  image  on  the 
brain  every  time  you  have  made  a  memo  of  any 
name,  date  or  fact. 

The  sooner  and  oftener  you  can  apply  a  fact 
in  a  practical  way  the  better  you  can  remember 
it.  Talk  about  it,  write  about  it  and  do  some 
act  connected  with  it.  Making  the  earliest  pos- 
ible  use  of  some  fact  you  wish  to  remember  will 
stamp  it  the  most  vividly  on  your  mind.  Ob- 
serve the  following  laws: 

Law  of  Repetition. — Say  it  over  and  over 
again. 

Law  of  Contiguity. — Relate  the  matter  to 
be  remembered  to  other  things  occurring  at  the 
same  time. 

Law  of  Correlation. — Endeavor  to  link 
each  new  thing  to  be  remembered  with  an  old 
idea  of  a  similar  nature.  Bind  new  facts  to  old 
facts  by  relations  of  similarity,  cause  and  effect, 
in  whole  or  in  part.  This  may  be  a  pleasurable 
process.  It  is  a  natural  instinctive  way  of  re- 
membering, just  as  you  say,  "By  the  way,  that 
reminds  me  of  such  and  such  a  thing."  You  are 
unconsciously  following  out  the  Law  of  Corre- 
lation. It  becomes  easy  to  cultivate  memory  or 

(2) 


any  other  faculty  when  you  follow  methods  that 
are  in  accord  with  natural  instincts. 

Law  of  Comparison. — Note  how  the  facts 
to  be  remembered  compare  with  other  facts  on 
similar  subjects  already  stored  in  the  memory. 
This  involves  a  judicial  process  and  tends  to 
develop  a  high  order  of  mind. 

Above  all,  observe  the  simple  law  of  recall, 
"I  want  that  name." 

Sight  Memory  Exercise. — An  effective  way 
of  training  the  mind  to  remember  details  about 
business  is  as  follows:  Look  at  a  shop  window, 
observing  carefully  every  detail  in  it.  Then 
walk  on  some  distance,  stop  and  write  down  all 
you  can  remember.  You  can  develop  a  wonder- 
ful power  of  observation  and  memory  in  this 
way.  Apply  this  to  a  counter  of  goods  that  in- 
terests you,  or  anything  that  you  desire  to  get  a 
knowledge  of. 

The  next  day  repeat  this  same  process.  The 
point  is  to  see  how  many  more  objects  you  see 
on  succeeding  days.  This  has  the  elements  of 
a  game,  for  you  are  keeping  tab  on  yourself  by 
number. 

You  can  keep  this  data  in  the  form  of  a  score 
card.  This  may  heighten  the  interest  of  this 
little  memory  game.  Very  soon  you  can  remem- 
ber practically  everything  in  the  window  or  on 
the  counter  and  you  will  have  a  sense  of  greatly 
increased  power  of  memory. 

You  can  carry  this  practice  still  further.  After 
remembering  all  the  objects,  train  yourself  to 
recall  the  colors,  sizes,  shapes  and  positions  of 
all  the  objects.  This  will  not  only  develop  your 
memory  but  improve  your  color  and  space  sense 
and  heighten  your  whole  perceptive  process. 
The  advantage  of  this  method  of  exercise  is  that 

(3)' 


it  takes  on  the  interest  of  the  game.  It  is  so 
simple  that  you  can  teach  it  to  a  child,  or  an 
associate,  or  subordinate  who  needs  developing 
along  these  lines. 

Tell  yourself  this:  "Hear  what  you  wish  to 
hear  and  see  what  you  wish  to  see."  You  can 
thus  be  oblivious  to  all  sights  and  sounds  that 
are  distracting,  even  in  the  midst  of  noise  and 
confusion.  Your  memory  and  power  of  con- 
centration will  be  improved  and  your  wholte 
physical  and  mental  system  will  acquire  a  new 
strength  and  tone.  The  use  of  the  WILL  is  a 
great  factor  in  developing  a  good  memory.  The 
recalling  of  any  desired  thing  is  largely  the 
ability  to  COMMAND  the  subconscious  mind 
to  reproduce  what  you  wish. 

QUESTIONS,  LECTURES  V  AND  VI. 

1.  What  is  a  simple  and  effective  way  of  re- 
calling any  name,  date  or  fact? 

2.  State  another  device  for  recalling  a  name 
or  word. 

3.  Why  should  the  physical  senses  be  kept 
keen? 

4.  What  part  does  attention  play  in  the  pro- 
cess of  remembering? 

5.  Why  should  mechanical  aids  to  memory 
be  adopted? 

6.  What  memory  tickler  memorandum  sys- 
tem ar$  you  using? 

7.  What  effect  does  a  good  memory  have  on 
the  physical  and  mental  system? 

8.  What  memory  exercises  are  you  using  each 
day? 

9.  What  is  the  sig&t  memory  exercise? 

10.  What  is   your   memoiy   percentage  by 
Tests  No.  1  and^To.  2? 

(A) 


Industrial  and  Vocational 
Efficiency 

MIND  POWER  BUILDING  SERIES 
Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Heywood 


LECTURE    VII 


THE  previous  lessons  in  this  course  have 
shown  how  the  mind  works,  how  its 
power  can  be  multiplied,  and  how  the 
memory  and  other  faculties  may  be  made  to 
operate  with  greater  harmony  and  efficiency. 
At  this  state  it  is  appropriate  to  open  the  door 
upon  new  realms  of  discoveries  in  practical 
psychology,  which  are  of  vital  importance  to 
every  person.  These  discoveries  pertain  to  the 
proper  selection  of  a  vocation,  and  adjusting 
one's  self  to  industrial  efficiency  or  directing 
others  in  this  field. 

To  most  people  the  word  efficiency,  which  is 
now  the  slogan  of  the  business  world,  means 
high  pressure  work  and  strain.  Nothing  could 
be  farther  from  the  truth.  Personal  efficiency 
means  doing  a  given  task  without  friction  or 
strain  of  any  kind.  It  is  accomplished  by  the 
harmonious  working  together  of  body  and 
mind.  It  is  generally  the  result  of  doing  things 
in  the  simplest  and  happiest  way.  The  most 
immediate  effect  is  the  gaining  of  dollars 
and  cents  by  this  smooth-working  human 
mechanism. 

Big  business  men  all  over  the  world  are  wak- 
ing up  to  the  need  of  a  greater  degree  of  per- 
sonal efficiency  in  the  organization  of  great  in- 


dustries  from  the  humblest  workers  up  to  the 
managing  staff. 

How  to  accomplish  this  is  the  question  of  the 
hour.  The  solution  is  near  at  hand;  in  fact,  is 
already  being  worked  out  in  a  very  practical 
way  by  men  who  are  associating  themselves 
together  for  this  purpose.  This  is  one  of  the 
most  encouraging  signs  of  the  times,  an  evi- 
dence that  the  gravest  problem  before  the  busi- 
ness world  can  and  will  be  solved  in  a  spirit 
of  good  will  between  workers  and  employers 
because  an  avenue  of  mutual  profit  has  been 
found  in  which  both  can  travel  together.  This 
thoroughfare  might  be  called  the  "Avenue  of 
Co-operation  and  Efficiency." 

MAKING  MEN  OVER 

Every  business  man  worthy  of  the  name  has 
introduced  efficiency  systems  of  some  sort  into 
his  office  or  shop  work.  Sometimes  the  results 
have  been  disappointing  and  he  blames  the 
"system."  The  chances  are  that  the  personal 
element  has  been  overlooked.  His  employes 
have  failed  to  grasp  the  idea  and  the  method  of 
it.  The  thing  to  do  then  is  teach  them  personal 
efficiency.  Impossible,  you  say — men  cannot 
be  made  over.  They  can  and  are  being  made 
over. 

More  than  1,000,000  men  and  women  are 
now  working  on  improved  efficiency  plans  in^ 
big  industrial  establishments  in  this  country. 
They  are  earning  50  to  100  per  cent  more  wages 
than  before  and  are  turning  out  two  to  four 
times  the  amount  of  work  and  with  less  physical 
and  mental  strain.  This  system  was  not  forced 
upon  employers  by  labor  unions,  but  was 
brought  about  by  plodding  workers  and  thinkers 

(2) 


who  joined  hands  and  minds  and  hearts  in  this 
great  movement  for  human  betterment.  If  any 
business  man  does  not  know  about  these  things 
it  is  time  for  him  to  find  out  about  them.  More 
and  more  progressive  men  in  every  community 
are  studying  these  vital  facts  and  putting  them 
into  practice. 

WHY  PERSONAL  EFFICIENCY  PAYS 

Many  employers  shrink  from  attempting  to 
make  a  study  of  the  personal  efficiency  or  fit- 
ness of  each  man  for  his  particular  task  because 
the  subject  seems  so  big  and  complex.  They 
argue  to  themselves  that  at  the  best  they  could 
probably  save  only  a  small  per  cent  by  this  new 
scientific  method. 

They  entirely  underestimate  the  great  varia- 
tion in  men.  Careful  observations  have  shown 
that  a  first-class  man  in  any  trade  or  vocation 
does  from  two  to  four  times  as  much  work  as 
an  average  man  in  his  class  or  trade.  That  is 
why  it  pays  to  employ  only  first-class  men.  It 
means  the  difference  between  success  or  failure 
in  a  business. 

With  this  enormous  variation  in  men  it  is 
possible,  by  having  only  first-class  men,  to  pay 
high  wages  and  yet  have  a  low  cost  of  labor. 
The  difference  in  the  output  of  first-class  and 
average  men  is  realized  as  little  by  the  work- 
men as  by  employers. 

It  is  also  true  that  high-grade  men  are  not 
only  willing  but  anxious  to  work  at  their  maxi- 
mum capacity  if  they  can  get  about  30  to  50  per 
cent  more  wages  than  the  average  man  in  his 
trade  earns.  Nor  does  such  work  tend  to  break 
down  men  by  excessive  speeding,  for  it  has 
been  found  that  they  rise  to  a  higher  level  of 

(3) 


mental  and  bodily  activity  and  thrive  on  it.  In 
other  words,  they  undergo  a  distinct  evolution 
and  rise  to  a  higher  state  of  manhood. 

EFFICIENCY  IS  A  NEW  SCIENCE 

Personal  efficiency  has  been  developed  and 
applied  to  such  an  extent  in  many  departments 
of  industry  that  it  has  risen  to  the  dignity  of  a 
new  science.  It  bids  fair  to  play  as  astonishing  a 
part  in  human  affairs  during  the  twentieth  cen- 
tury as  machinery  did  in  the  nineteenth  century. 

An  instance  of  its  use  among  the  lowest  class 
of  workers  illustrates  its  possibilities.  The  pig 
iron  handlers  at  the  Bethlehem  steel  works  a 
few  years  ago  were  loading  iron  on  cars  at  the 
rate  of  12^K  tons  a  day  and  getting  less  than  $2 
a  day.  Under  the  new  scientific  system  of  rest 
periods  these  men  were  taught  to  load  48  tons 
a  day  and  were  paid  60  per  cent  more.  This  60 
per  cent  increase  in  wages  was  voluntary  on  the 
part  of  the  management  and  was  one  of  the 
most  profitable  innovations  ever  adopted  by  that 
company. 

In  a  ball  bearing  factory  in  Massachusetts  a 
scientific  system  was  adopted  with  the  result  of 
getting  thirty-five  girls  to  do  the  work  formerly 
done  by  120  in  sorting  metal  bearings.  The 
hours  were  reduced  from  10  K  to  8^  and  the 
wages  of  the  girls  increased  from  $4.50  to  $9 
a  week,  while  the  cost  to  the  manufacturers  was 
reduced  and  the  output  improved. 

These  examples  show  that  the  earning  power 
of  American  men  and  women  is  only  just  be- 
ginning to  be  realized,  when  their  energies  are 
properly  directed.  Besides  the  financial  benefits 
to  both  sides  it  has  changed  the  attitude  of  the 
employe  from  shirking  and  antagonism  to  help- 

(4) 


ful,  happy  co-operation  with  the  employer.  Car- 
ried to  its  logical  goal,  it  means  the  peaceful 
solution  of  all  labor  problems  and  an  unbounded 
field  for  American  enterprise. 

THE  PSYCHOLOGY  OF  EFFICIENCY 

This  is  why  the  psychology  of  efficiency  has 
been  invoked  to  help  this  great  human  need. 
Although  it  is  a  new  field,  the  results  in  the  last 
few  years  have  been  surprising.  One  of  the 
most  notable  advances  has  been  made  in  the 
selection  of  new  and  economical  ways  of  work- 
ing. The  scientific  selection  of  employes  is  a 
matter  of  special  moment,  owing  to  the  work- 
men's compensation  laws,  which  are  being  en- 
acted in  many  states.  As  an  employer  is  abso- 
lutely liable  for  any  personal  injuries  that  an 
employe  may  receive,  even  as  a  result  of  the 
employe's  carelessness,  it  becomes  of  great  in- 
terest to  the  employer  to  use  every  possible  aid 
that  science  can  afford  to  find  out  the  inattentive 
and  unfit.  Casualty  insurance  companies  are 
particularly  interested  in  this  subject. 

Great  improvements  have  been  made  in  the 
mechanical  arrangements  of  factories,  stores, 
railroads  and  other  industries,  but  managers  are 
only  just  beginning  to  take  into  consideration 
the  scientific  selection  and  assignment  of  em- 
ployes. The  bodily  movements  of  bricklayers, 
coal  heavers  and  other  workers  have  been 
studied  with  moving  picture  machines  so  as  to 
find  out  just  where  a  motion  could  be  saved  in 
various  forms  of  manual  labor.  New  forms  of 
tools  and  appliances  have  been  devised.  New 
ways  have  been  suggested  of  handling  men  with 
a  view  to  developing  the  workingman's  initia- 
tive. They  are  now  considering  the  innate  fit- 

(5) 


ness  or  unfitness  of  the  workers  for  the  labor 
in  which  they  are  engaged. 

The  psychological  research  department  of 
Harvard  University  a  few  years  ago  addressed 
letters  to  about  a  thousand  employers  of  labor 
in  the  United  States  asking  them  what  atten- 
tion they  were  giving  to  the  innate  mental  fit- 
ness of  their  employes  for  their  work.  The 
university  director  emphasized  the  fact  that  he 
was  not  referring  to  such  more  or  less  moral 
qualities  as  temperance  or  intemperance,  indus- 
try or  laziness,  honesty  or  dishonesty,  and  so 
forth,  but  that  he  had  in  mind  such  strictly 
mental  elements  as  power  of  attention,  memory, 
imagination,  space-sense,  time-sense,  judgment, 
and  so  on.  The  replies  indicated  that  nobody 
had  ever  given  much  thought  to  the  matter  be- 
fore. They  were  all  hiring  men  and  women  and 
putting  them  to  work  on  different  tasks  promis- 
cuously. But  employers  were  quick  to  perceive 
what  vast  economies  could  be  made  if  practical 
means  could  be  devised  for  determining  the 
mental  fitness  of  the  worker  in  advance. 

ADAPTATION  TO  VOCATION 

It  has  been  abundantly  proven  that  tests  de- 
vised in  the  psychological  laboratory  can  be  made 
to  furnish  a  clew  to  the  adaptability  of  the 
individual  for  any  kind  of  employment.  Such 
tests  are  based  upon  the  fact  that  we  can 
measure  and  compare  the  speed  with  which 
the  minds  of  different  people  act  in  perform- 
ing any  act. 

The  United  States  Army  now  uses  a  very 
elaborate  set  of  psychological  tests  in  selecting 
men  for  the  aviation  service.  In  this  way  they 
are  able  to  learn  whether  a  man  has  the  innate 
qualities  that  fit  him  for  a  flyer  before  the  gov- 

(6) 


ernment  goes  to  the  expense  of  a  long  training 
only  to  find  that  the  recruit  was  a  hopeless  fail- 
ure in  that  branch  of  the  service.  This  was  one 
of  the  big  discoveries  of  the  recent  war. 

One  of  the  chief  reasons  for  the  amazing 
efficiency  of  our  army  of  civilian  soldiers  was 
the  fact  that  psychological  methods  were  used 
in  sorting  out  and  assigning  the  men  to  the 
kinds  of  service  for  which  they  were  best  fitted. 
This  was  something  new  in  military  procedure. 
One  instance  will  illustrate  the  utility  of  this 
principle. 

A  big  muscular  six-foot  volunteer,  full  of 
energy  and  courage,  was  first  put  into  the  infan- 
try and  drilled  in  trench  digging.  But  the  rec- 
ord card  which  was  made  of  him  showed  that  he 
had  had  experience  in  a  chemical  research  labor- 
atory. He  was  withdrawn  from  trench  work 
and  set  to  work  as  a  supervisor  in  a  munition 
factory  making  gas  shells,  where  he  did  the  kind 
of  work  that  was  equivalent  to  an  army  of 
10,000  or  perhaps  100,000  men  in  trench  work. 

Innumerable  examples  of  this  kind  have  dem- 
onstrated to  the  industrial  world  the  necessity 
of  using  scientific  methods  in  selecting  and  as- 
signing men  and  women  to  proper  vocations. 

The  first  lesson  in  this  course  showed  that 
compared  with  the  velocity  of  light  and  sound 
and  other  physical  agencies,  the  mind  is  a  slow 
moving  mechanism.  Any  person's  simplest  men- 
tal processes  can  be  accurately  timed  in  tenths 
of  a  second,  while  a  really  intellectual  operation 
takes  from  one  second  to  several  seconds.  In 
the  light  of  the  psychological  laws  already  set 
forth  we  now  ask  you: 

Does  your  mind  work  effectively  in  your 
social  and  practical  activities?  Are  you  in  the 
right  line  of  work  or  business?  If  not  you  had 

(7) 


better  shape  your  course  toward  a  desired  end. 
How  fast  does  your  assistant's  mind  operate? 
Your  chauffeur's  or  your  secretary's?  Are  they 
up  to  the  standard  of  those  engaged  in  similar 
work? 

SCIENTIFIC  SELECTION  OF 
EMPLOYES 

One  of  the  first  instances  of  the  practical  use 
of  scientific  selection  of  employes  was  in  the 
bicycle  ball-bearing  factory  in  Massachusetts , 
already  alluded  to.  In  this  instance  a  practical 
psychologist  went  into  this  establishment  and 
found  120  girls  engaged  in  going  over  the  little 
steel  balls  for  defects.  Each  girl  would  lay  a 
row  of  these  little  balls  on  the  back  of  her  hand 
in  the  line  between  the  second  and  third  fingers 
and  then  with  a  pointed  magnet  would  pick  out 
those  that  showed  breaks  in  the  surface  or  other 
flaws. 

The  psychologist  analyzed  this  work  and 
found  that  it  required  sharp  eyesight,  a  con- 
centrated type  of  attention  and  quick-acting 
muscles.  He  then  tested  a  number  of  girls  and 
selected  those  that  possessed  these  qualities  in 
highest  degree.  The  result,  as  stated  before,  is 
that  thirty-five  girls  are  now  doing  the  work 
that  formerly  required  120.  Their  hours  have 
been  reduced,  their  pay  has  been  more  than 
doubled  and  yet  the  factory  has  made  a  very 
large  saving. 

Practically  all  of  the  girls  dismissed  from 
this  work  were  at  once  put  to  work  in  the 
same  plant  at  some  other  kind  of  work  for 
which  they  were  better  fitted  and  at  which 
they  could  earn  more  money  with  vastly 
greater  comfort,  health  and  satisfaction  in 
their  work. 

(8) 


These  great  results  in  the  saving  of  time, 
labor  and  overhead  costs  are  based  on  three 
principles : 

*          1.  Time  efficiency. 

2.  Arrangement  of  tools  and  materials. 

3.  Adjustment  of  the  man  to  the  job. 

The  time  element  is  the  first  to  consider  and 
in  solving  this  problem  in  most  cases  you  will 
have  worked  out  the  other  two  principles.  Time 
study  is  a  comparatively  simple  matter  by  using 
the  chart  method.  You  begin  by  scheduling  a 
day's  work  either  for  yourself  or  someone  else. 

DAY'S  ACTIVITIES  CHART 

Suppose  you  take  your  own  job  as  an  ex- 
ecutive, which  is  the  most  complex  of  all.  Rule 
a  chart  something  like  the  following,  only  di- 
vided into  quarter  hours  instead  of  hours  and 
see  whether  you  are  utilizing  your  time  to  the 
best  advantage. 

As  the  day's  work  progresses  check  up  on 
this  chart  the  time  devoted  to  the  various  activi- 
ties and  see  whether  there  has  been  any  waste 
or  unprofitable  time.  If  you  check  up  fairly 
well  your  chart  will  be  marked  about  like  the 
following  one.  Put  down  efficiency  percentage 
in  last  column.  Readjust  the  day's  plan  and  the 
time  devoted  to  each  activity  till  you  finally  get 
it  down  to  the  arrangement  that  works  out  best, 
and  the  percentage  figures  out  highest. 

We  will  next  take  a  simple  work  chart.     Ap- 
j      ply  this  to  any  task,  whether  it  be  a  shoveling 
job  or  in  the  shipping  department  or  manufac- 
turing, or  household  work. 

(9) 


(10) 


WORK  CHART 

The  first  two  time  columns  show  the  sched- 
uled time  for  starting  and  finishing  a  job,  and 
the  last  two  columns  show  when  it  actually  was 
finished.  You  can  then  calculate  the  percentage 
of  efficiency  in  right  hand  column.  There  is 
usually  a  wide  variation  at  first  between  the 
estimated  time  and  the  actual  time  used.  But 
in  repeated  tests  you  finally  arrive  at  a  standard, 
after  making  due  allowance  for  human  and 
machine  delays. 

Nearly  every  business  establishment  has  some 
kind  of  time  charts.  These  can  be  used  as  they 
are  or  slightly  changed  to  make  a  study  of  any 
new  operations.  A  woman  can  apply  the  same 
principle  in  the  home.  The  principle  applies 
equally  well  to  making  pies  or  building  a  ship. 
It  is  simply  a  method  of  analyzing  and  visual- 
izing an  operation  and  then  working  it  out  prac- 
tically. 

Principle  2.  Arrangement  of  Tools  and 
Materials. — This  is  as  important  as  the  time 
element.  The  proper  arrangement  of  things  in 
advance  is  the  key  to  time  saving.  A  good 
workman  may  not  work  as  fast  as  a  beginner 
or  the  careless  man.  But  he  arranges  all  his 
tools  and  materials  so  there  is  no  lost  time  or 
effort,  and  he  does  two  to  four  times  as  much 
work  without  fatigue.  He  uses  his  left  hand  to 
help  his  right  hand,  and  he  saves  every  possible 
step  and  every  useless  motion  of  the  body. 

These  processes  have  been  called  scientific 
management,  but  that  makes  it  seem  very  diffi- 
cult and  complex.  The  better  way  to  think  of 
it  is  the  art  of  simplifying  things  and  that  makes 
it  seem  easy. 

(ID 


0> 


ft 


CHART. 


i 


£  1 

Q    *' 


I 


(12) 


People  who  have  never  stopped  to  think  or 
study  out  things  in  this  way  have  no  idea  the 
amount  of  time  and  effort  that  can  be  saved. 
Once  a  person  begins  to  chart  and  check  up  the 
time  on  work,  he  finds  wonderful  possibilities 
in  time  saving. 

For  instance  the  head  of  a  hardware  depart- 
ment of  a  big  store  began  to  investigate  the 
various  operations  in  his  section.  He  found 
that  a  stove  assembling  job  had  been  taking  six 
minutes,  but  by  observing  principles  1  and  2, 
time  efficiency  and  arrangement  of  tools  and 
materials,  the  job  was  done  more  easily  in  4 
minutes — or  a  50  per  cent  saving.  The  manager 
then  turned  his  attention  to  uncrating  a  certain 
class  of  goods.  This  job  had  been  taking  49 
seconds — but  the  applying  of  principles  1  and 
2  reduced  the  time  to  8  seconds,  a  saving  of 
600  per  cent. 

Another  manager  of  a  big  store  took  hold  of 
one  of  the  smaller  departments  which  was 
mostly  manual  labor  and  checking  up.  By  these 
principles  he  cut  down  the  working  force  from 
six  men  to  two,  and  placed  the  other  four  men 
at  work  where  they  could  earn  more  money 
for  themselves  and  be  more  profitable  to  the 
firm.  Another  operation  that  young  girls  per- 
formed he  reduced  from  2  minutes  and  35  sec- 
onds, to  25  seconds.  This  job  was  simplified 
chiefly  by  arrangement  of  materials  and  some 
very  cheap  equipment. 

These  examples  show  how  easy  it  is  to  work 
great  savings  of  time  and  labor  if  some  person 
in  a  concern  will  just  begin  to  study  one  opera- 
tion after  another.  The  idea  becomes  con- 
tagious and  soon  one  person  after  another  takes 
it  up.  Ttyey  like  it  because  it  becomes  an  inter- 
US  ) 


esting  game,  and  there  is  the  pleasure  of  dis- 
covering some  new  process. 

Progressive  employers  give  recognition  to 
employes  who  do  these  things.  But  the  idea 
and  example  has  to  start  usually  with  the 
higher  ups. 

Principle  3.  The  Human  Element,  Ad- 
justing the  Man  to  the  Job. — This  is  the  most 
complex  part  of  the  executive's  work.  But  this 
too  can  be  worked  out  comparatively  easily  and 
simply.  Some  of  the  best  results  in  testing 
persons  for  mental  alertness  have  been  per- 
formed with  an  ordinary  stop  watch,  as  was  de- 
scribed in  detail  in  a  previous  lesson.  But  many 
different  kinds  of  devices  have  been  invented 
for  measuring  the  fitness  of  employes  in  differ- 
ent lines  of  work.  Such  tests  furnish  an  almost 
infallible  means  for  detecting  the  unfit  in  time 
to  avoid  hiring  them  instead  of  after  a  long  and 
costly  experiment  in  actual  service. 

In  cotton  mills  there  are  certain  operatives 
who  are  called  upon  to  look  after  the  operations 
of  a  number  of  looms  at  the  same  time.  To  suc- 
ceed at  such  work  they  must  have  an  expanded 
type  of  attention,  the  sort  of  mind  that  sees 
many  things  at  once,  but  none  in  such  detail  or 
with  such  clear  minuteness  as  is  necessary  to 
the  girl  in  the  bicycle  ball-bearing  factory. 

Every  well-equipped  psychological  laboratory 
has  an  instrument  called  a  tachistascope  by 
which  it  is  possible  in  a  few  moments  to  test  a 
person  as  to  the  possession  of  this  sort  of  ex- 
panded vigilance.  Every  vocation  can  be 
analyzed  and  the  elements  for  success  scien- 
tifically  catalogued.  Scientific  methods  can  be 
devised  and  applied  for  showing  the  person's 

(14) 


fitness  for  the  work.  One  of  the  most  interest- 
ing features  of  this  work  is  the  extreme  sim- 
plicity of  the  devices  required  to  measure  the 
speed  of  the  mind  in  action.  A  device  for  test- 
ing the  alertness  and  capacity  for  quick  thought 
and  action  of  men  in  dangerous  occupations  is 
called  a  psychometer  and  is  so  simple  that  any 
intelligent  person  with  a  little  training  and  prac- 
tice can  operate  it.  The  tachistascope  is  just  a 
machine  with  an  opening  like  a  camera  shutter 
for  giving  accurately  timed  glimpses  of  objects 
behind  it.  The  actual  measuring  of  the  mind  is 
as  easy  as  the  timing  of  an  automobile  or  a  horse 
on  a  racetrack. 

Many  employers  are  now  using  application 
blanks  for  new  employes  that  are  really  care- 
fully studied  out  psychological  tests  to  de  termine 
the  applicant's  fitness  for  that  particular  job. 

It  is  coming  to  be  generally  recognized  by 
employers,  teachers  and  people  generally  that 
all  the  senses,  particularly  sight  and  hearing, 
should  be  tested  from  time  to  time ,  in  the  cases 
of  persons  employed  in  delicate  or  difficult  work 
requiring  accuracy  in  the  use  of  those  senses. 
Simple  instruments  can  be  obtained  for  this 
purpose. 


SELECTION  OF  A  VOCATION 


With  the  analysis  we  have  made  of  qualities 
required  in  various  vocations,  a  proper  question 
for  you  to  ask  yourself  is,  "Am. I  in  the  right 
vocation,  or  what  is  the  right  vocation  for  my 
son  or  daughter?"  The  first  thing  to  be  con- 
sidered is,  what  do  you  or  they  desire  to  do  or 
to  be?  Desire  is  the  keynote  to  successful  at- 

(15) 


tainment.  Determine  upon  the  object  that  you 
most  ardently  desire,  the  thing  that  you  natur- 
ally yearn  for  and  dream  about.  No  great  suc- 
cess can  be  attained  in  any  line  until  a  person 
has  formed  a  passionate  and  all  absorbing  desire 
for  something.  It  may  be  money  or  professional 
eminence  or  achievement  and  distinction  in 
some  other  line. 

When  you  are  sure  of  your  one  great  fixed 
desire,  the  thing  to  do  is  to  adopt  a  course  of 
incessant  activity  leading  toward  that  end.  Ap- 
ply all  the  rules  for  self  testing  and  self  analysis 
which  have  been  given  thus  far  in  this  course. 
Still  other  methods  will  be  outlined  in  the  fol- 
lowing lessons.  Your  speed  of  thought,  your 
range  of  attention,  the  quality  of  your  physical 
senses,  your  knowledge  of  special  subjects,  all 
these  will  have  a  bearing  in  determining  your 
proper  niche  in  life,  and  your  adaptation  to  some 
vocation  that  is  in  the  line  of  your  ambition. 

We  have  taken  pains  in  this  lesson  to  give  a 
ground  work  in  practical  efficiency  and  scien- 
tific management  subjects  because  it  is  along 
this  line  that  great  progress  is  now  being  made 
and  is  going  to  be  made  in  the  future.  These 
are  subjects  that  the  mass  of  people  know  noth- 
ing about.  A  knowledge  of  them  puts  you  in 
touch  with  the  advanced  thought  and  methods  of 
the  day.  We  are  on  the  eve  of  great  develop- 
ments along  these  lines.  Perhaps  you  can 
originate  some  methods  that  will  revolutionize 
the  field  of  activity  in  which  you  are  engaged. 
For  the  time  is  ripe  for  the  harnessing  of  the 
human  faculties  in  ways  of  usefulness  never 
dreamed  of  before. 

(16) 


Building  a  Double  Brain 

MIND  POWER  BUILDING  SERIES 
Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Heywood 

LECTURE  VIII 


WE   HAVE   already   outlined  a  method 
of    desk    arrangement,    and    "aid   to 
memory,"  tickler,  which  are  designed 
to  increase  any  person's  capacity  100  per  cent. 
The  man  or  woman  who  follows  such  a  system 
really  has  a  double  brain.     It  is  doubtful  if  even 
two  brains,  without  the  aid  of  the  tickler  and 
desk  system,  could  handle  the  same  volume  of 
details  and  planning  ahead. 

The  tickler  habit  will  give  you  a  quick  start 
when  combined  with  the  other  memory  rules 
which  we  have  given.  These  habits,  well  fixed, 
together  with  consulting  the  tickler  faithfully 
every  morning  for  the  program  of  the  day,  will 
give  you  a  memory  good  enough  to  fit  any  posi- 
tion, even  up  to  the  presidency  of  a  corporation. 

For  the  outside  man  the  loose-leaf  memoran- 
dum book  may  be  used  to  advantage  to  suit  in- 
dividual needs.  One  method  is  to  date  ten  to 
twenty  pages  ahead  and  make  notes  of  things 
to  be  done  on  those  dates. 

Two  little  things,  the  note  book  and  tickler, 
moreover,  can  be  made  the  means  of  caring  for 
much  more  than  mere  routine  details.  Another 
use  for  them  is  to  collect  ideas,  impressions  and 
thoughts.  An  alert  person  is  constantly  picking 
up  suggestions,  hints  and  schemes  that  can  be 
used  at  some  future  time.  They  come  in  the 


day's  mail,  in  conversation,  in  newspapers  and 
magazines  and  in  speeches.  Most  people  say : 
"That's  interesting/'  or  "A  good  idea;  I'll  use 
it  some  time,"  and  then  forget  about  it.  Don't 
allow  yourself  to  forget.  Catch  the  bright  idea 
on  the  fly  and  make  a  brief  note  of  it.  At  the 
first  lull  in  your  work,  elaborate  the  note  and 
file  it  some  days  ahead  in  the  card  tickler.  If 
you  can't  use  it  then,  file  it  ahead  thirty  days. 
Keep  pushing  it  forward  till  the  right  time  to 
use  it  arrives.  Some  day  it  will  occur  to  you 
how  you  can  use  that  idea  and  your  memo  sys- 
tem will  deserve  the  credit  for  it. 

Sometimes  a  man  receives  an  idea  that  thrills 
him,  but  he  cannot  see  just  how  he  can  make 
practical  application  of  it — the  ordinary  man  lets 
it  pass  out  of  his  existence,  but  the  extraor- 
dinary man  cherishes  that  idea,  holds  on  to  it 
till  in  the  course  of  time  it  comes  to  him  in  a 
flash  how  he  can  apply  it  and  it  may  make  him 
a  fortune  or  be  the  crowning  of  his  career. 

FORM  HABIT  OF  THINKING  AHEAD 

An  index  covering  a  year  ahead  is  a  simple 
device,  but  its  psychological  effect  is  very  great. 
It  is  a  constant  suggestion  for  you  to  think 
ahead  in  terms  of  months  instead  of  days.  The 
principal  difference  between  large  businesses 
and  small  stores  is  that  in  big  enterprises  men 
plan  a  long  way  ahead;  in  small  business,  they 
think  mostly  from  week  to  week.  You  don't 
need  to  have  an  office  at  all  in  order  to  form  the 
habit  of  thinking  ahead  on  the  larger  scale. 
You  can  get  a  pocket  diary  and  carry  your  plans 
for  a  year  ahead.  But  don't  make  it  a  record  of 
petty  things  done  from  day  to  day  in  the  old- 
fashioned  way.  Use  it  as  a  series  of  pegs  for 

(2) 


hanging  up  ideas  and  plans  to  be  acted  upon  at 
certain  definite  times  in  the  future. 

In  addition  to  notes,  there  will  be  letters, 
papers  and  clippings  that  your  memo  book  or 
card  file  cannot  take  care  of.  These  should  be 
put  in  the  deep  drawer  file  in  your  desk  or  in 
some  convenient  place  in  your  home.  You  can 
thus  have  all  this  matter  arranged  in  a  follow- 
up  system  covering  an  entire  year,  including 
correspondence  about  future  work,  plans,  sell- 
ing, credits  and  obligations.  You  have  the  as- 
surance that  everything  will  come  to  your  atten- 
tion on  the  proper  dates. 

As  an  executive,  your  time  will  be  saved  and 
your  range  of  capacity  vastly  increased  by  this 
method.  As  a  secretary  or  department  man- 
ager, you  will  be  able  to  render  assistance  to 
those  above  you  that  will  make  you  invaluable. 
This  system  can  be  made  the  foundation  for 
constant  growth  and  ever  enlarging  powers. 

In  this  way,  employes  have  secured  rapid  ad- 
vancement, big  businesses  have  been  built,  great 
stories  written  and  orations  prepared.  When  the 
right  time  comes,  you  can  gather  up  these  ideas 
and  facts  and  put  them  together  like  a  child 
builds  a  house  of  blocks,  and  it  will  be  just 
play  for  you.  That  is  the  way  most  big  things 
are  done.  You  need  only  have  the  nucleus  of 
your  big  plan  in  mind,  and  know  where  you  can 
put  your  hands  on  the  ideas  and  details  required 
for  carrying  it  out. 

As  a  quickener  of  thought  and  action  it  is  a 
good  thing  to  have  a  watch  or  miniature  clock 
on  your  desk.  It  acts  as  a  sort  of  pacemaker. 
You  have  learned  the  value  of  seconds  and  frac- 
tions of  seconds  in  the  psychological  tests  you 
have  had.  This  should  make  you  value  the 
minutes  all  the  more.  This  will  stop  much 

(3) 


waste  of  time — for  there  is  nothing  that  is 
wasted  so  much  as  time.  Keep  track  of  the 
minutes.  Fix  a  time  schedule  for  all  your  work 
and  keep  up  to  it.  Don't  let  anybody  break  in 
on  you  and  waste  your  time  needlessly.  You 
have  systematized  your  work  and  your  desk  or 
shop.  Now  systematize  your  time. 

QUESTIONS,  LECTURES  VII  AND  VIII 

1.  What  is  the  new  idea  and  definition  of  per- 
sonal efficiency? 

2.  How  much  more  work  does  a  first-class 
man  or  woman  do  than  the  average  person  in 
any  trade  or  vocation? 

3.  What  examples  can  you  quote  to  show  re- 
duction of  hours  and  increase  of  wages  as  result 
of  personal  efficiency  applied  in  factories? 

4.  What  personal  or  business  problems  have 
you  worked  out  by  applying  the  three  essential 
principles  of  efficiency? 

5.  How  will  the  application  of  these  prin- 
ciples and  methods  tend  to  bring  about  a  better 
mental  attitude  between  employers  and  em- 
ployes? 

6.  What   psychological  tests  given  in  this 
course  have  you  found  of  the  most  practical 
use  to  you? 

7.  What  is  an  essential  quality  to  determine 
selection  of  vocation? 

8.  What  are  the  first  steps  to  take  toward  a 
chosen  vocation? 

9.  What  process  of  analysis  should  be  applied 
to  yourself  or  to  other  persons  as  a  test  of 
fitness  for  a  vocation? 

10.  How  are  you  applying  the  system  outlined 
in  this  lesson  for  collecting  facts  and  ideas  and 
making  future  use  of  them? 

(4) 


Concentration  and  Creative 
Imagination 

MIND  POWER  BUILDING  SERIES 
Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Hey  wood 


LECTURE  IX 


preceding  lessons  have  explained  the 
I  laws  of  Mind  Power  Building  and  per- 
sonal  and  business  efficiency  so  that 
anyone  who  has  followed  this  course  carefully, 
should  now  be  able  to  apply  these  principles 
with  ease  and  understanding.  The  most  ef- 
fective way  that  the  mind  can  be  used  toward 
any  desired  end  is  by  means  of  Concentration 
and  Creative  and  Constructive  Imagination. 
This  is  the  age  of  thoroughness  and  of  the 
specialist  who  has  concentrated  upon  one  line  of 
thought  and  action.  The  essence  of  specializa- 
tion is  the  acquiring  of  a  complete  understand- 
ing of  one  subject,  which  can  be  attained  only 
by  concentration. 

The  new  type  of  individuals  that  are  now 
being  evolved,  the  superior  man  and  superior 
woman  are  simply  the  embodiment  of  these 
traits,  thoroughness  and  concentration.  Con- 
centration does  not  imply  the  making  of  a  con- 
stant and  wearisome  effort  for  sustained  thought 
and  action  on  some  one  subject.  Your  knowl- 
edge of  your  mental  and  physical  mechanism 
now  enables  you  to  understand  this  fact: 

If  you  simply  form  an  idea  of  a  definite 
object  you  wish  to  accomplish,  you  will  be 

(D 


driven  toward  that  object,  through  the  force 
of  your  subconscious  energies,  until  you  gain 
your  end. 

PRACTICAL  VALUE  OF  IMAGINATION 

With  all  the  mental  devices  that  may  be 
given  to  a  man  he  will  not  attain  any  great 
things  unless  he  cultivates  a  creative,  con- 
structive imagination.  It  is  the  faculty  of  be- 
ing able  to  see  possibilities  of  profit  in  new 
lines  of  endeavor  that  has  been  the  basis  of 
nearly  all  large  fortunes.  There  is  a  class  of 
people  who  think  that  wealth  is  gotten  only 
by  robbing  others,  double  dealing  and  chican- 
ery, and  that  is  true  of  some  individuals.  But 
the  general  quest  for  wealth  is  now  on  higher 
lines. 

A  revolution  is  being  wrought  in  some  in- 
dustry every  day.  Some  man  is  making  a 
fortune  every  day  out  of  a  new  idea.  The 
secret  of  these  successes  lies  in  creative 
thought.  Everything  new  arises  from  mind 
in  action.  First  there  must  be  thought.  Out 
of  this  thought  comes  an  idea.  Such  an  idea 
held  in  consciousness  tends  to  create  the  means 
for  its  materialization  or  fulfillment. 

This  form  of  thought  is  the  highest  that 
can  be  conceived  of.  Yet  it  is  something  that 
any  man  or  woman  can  cultivate.  Creative 
thought  is  not  supernatural.  It  follows 
natural  laws.  The  first  essential  is  to  keep 
your  mind  filled  with  thoughts  directed  toward 
some  end  that  you  desire.  To  be  in  the  frame 
of  mind  to  induce  creative  thought,  think  of 
health,  wealth  and  other  things  which  raise 
your  consciousness  out  of  the  plane  of  disease, 
poverty  and  the  distressing  things  of  life.  You 

(2) 


will  be  surprised  how  easily  you  can  originate 
ideas  if  you  adopt  this  mental  attitude.  A  cer- 
tain process  of  reasoning  will  help  you  as 
follows: 

ORIGINATING  AN  IDEA 

The  mind  tends  to  bring  about  the  realiza- 
tion of  images  that  are  held  in  the  mind. 

Your  attention  directed  toward  a  certain 
desired  object  will  involuntarily  bring  into 
your  mind  other  related  things  necessary  to 
its  accomplishment. 

Concentrated  thinking  will  summon  all 
your  subconscious  faculties  into  action  to 
work  out  a  constructive  idea.  The  completed 
idea  will  often  come  in  a  flash  of  inspiration, 
—that  is,  fully  constructed  from  your  sub- 
conscious mind. 

You  can  thus  deliberately  set  about  the 
creation  of  an  idea,  the  same  as  you  would 
plan  the  building  of  a  house.  With  the  idea 
created,  it  is  then  only  a  matter  of  routine 
work  to  carry  it  on  to  a  realization.  This  is 
the  way  that  practically  all  great  enterprises 
have  their  inception.  The  man  or  woman  who 
can  follow  out  this  process  becomes  one  of 
those  who  do  things  in  the  world.  He  or  she 
will  then  rise  above  the  ranks. 

Suppose  you  decide  to  make  an  invention 
to  extend  the  use  of  the  wireless  telephone. 
From  that  time  on  you  will  find  that  all  your 
faculties  become  keen  to  select  anything  that 
you  see,  hear  or  feel  that  will  contribute 
towards  your  invention.  Upon  that  subject 
you  concentrate  your  attention. 

Every  fact  and  passing  circumstance  that 
pertains  to  etheric  radiations,  every  paragraph 

(3) 


you  see  in  the  newspapers  or  current  literature, 
cling  to  your  mind  like  iron  filings  attracted 
to  a  magnet.  All  impressions  that  are  irrele- 
vent  to  your  purpose  henceforth  are  side- 
tracked into  your  subconscious  storehouse  and 
pass  into  the  realm  of  forget  fulness.  There 
they  will  lie  till  summoned  into  consciousness 
by  some  future  need  or  emergency. 


THE  PSYCHOLOGICAL  MOMENT 

You  will  find,  moreover,  that  ideas  and  facts 
in  your  past  experience  whose  value  you  did 
not  recognize  before,  will  constantly  bubble  up 
into  your  consciousness,  and  fit  into  your  new 
scheme  of  thought.  You  will  have  flashes  of 
inspiration  and  solve  problems  automatically 
that  have  previously  defied  all  your  laborious 
efforts.  This  is  when  your  deeper,  subcon- 
scious mind  has  been  drawn  into  service  and 
made  to  serve  you  in  the  highest  degree.  It 
was  this  attitude  of  mind  that  the  poet  con- 
ceived of  when  he  pictured  the  sculptor 
patiently  at  work: 

Waiting  the  time  when  at  God's  command, 
His  life  dream  passes  o'er  him. 

Who  has  not  at  times  been  impressed  with 
a  mysterious  feeling  of  having  all  the  knowl- 
edge and  all  the  power  necessary  to  do  a  great 
thing  and  the  road  before  us  clear  and  ready 
for  its  accomplishment?  This  is  a  psychologi- 
cal moment.  If  the  inspiration  is  followed  up 
by  vigorous  action  you  are  then  started  on  the 
way  toward  great  achievement.  The  knowl- 
edge to  do  this  thing  had  been  in  your  brain 

(4) 


archives  all  the  time,  but  had  lain  dormant  be- 
cause no  demand  had  been  made  upon  it. 

MOTIVE  POWER  OF  IDEAS 

We  now  are  going  to  dip  down  into  your 
deeper,  subconscious  mind  again  and  disclose 
two  other  great  psychological  laws.  They  are 
as  follows: 

(1)  The  subconscious  mind  is  the  great 
energizer  of  ideas,  and  (2)  every  idea  has  an 
impelling  power. 

The  subconscious  mind  is  where  emotion  is 
linked  to  latent  mental  impressions,  putting 
into  them  the  breath  of  life,  or  as  the  psy- 
chologist would  say,  giving  ideas  emotional 
energy.  If  you  wish  to  start  yourself  on  a 
new  line  of  action  you  can  do  so  by  sending 
a  message  down  to  your  subconscious  mind 
and  getting  it  to  set  all  your  physical  and 
mental  faculties  at  work  in  that  direction. 

You  can  extract  from  its  musty  pigeonhole 
in  the  brain  a  dormant  idea,  set  it  into  action 
and  make  it  change  and  glorify  your  whole 
career.  To  do  this  it  is  simply  necessary  for 
you  to  bring  the  dormant  idea  up  out  of  the 
subconscious  into  the  sunlight  of  consciousness. 
Think  it  over,  enthuse  over  it,  revel  in  it  till 
it  has  become  blended  with  your  emotions. 
From  that  time  on  it  becomes  a  potent  force  in 
your  life. 

Then  instead  of  having  to  be  summoned  by 
you  through  conscious  effort,  it  will  come  to 
your  assistance  automatically,  buoy  you  up 
and  carry  you  along  towards  the  fulfillment  of 
your  desire  and  the  object  for  which  you  first 
conceived  it  in  your  mind. 

(5) 


FINDING  THE  KEY  TO  YOUR  LOST 
COMBINATIONS 

A  vast  wealth  of  facts  is  stored  in  the  treas- 
ure vaults  of  every  person's  mind,  as  we  have 
already  explained,  but  there  are  certain  inner    ( 
compartments  to  which  you  have  lost  the  com- 
bination. 

It  is  an  important  day  in  one's  life  when 
he  begins  to  discover  himself,  when  he  finds 
the  key  to  these  lost  combinations  of  his  sub- 
conscious self.  But  before  your  subconscious 
mind  will  begin  to  work  for  you,  you  must 
form  a  conscious  idea  of  what  you  want  to  do 
or  what  you  want  to  possess. 

DYNAMIC  POWER  OF  DESIRE 

We  want  you  to  get  a  new  idea  of  the  word 
Desire.  It  is  a  common  old  word  and  was 
formerly  not  held  in  very  high  favor  by  moral- 
ists. In  fact  it  was  supposed  that  to  be  good 
and  great  we  must  stifle  most  of  our  desires. 
But  psychologists  in  seeking  the  springs  of 
human  endeavor  traced  back  every  course  of 
action  to  a  special  desire.  They  discovered 
that  Desire  is  the  most  dynamic  word  in  our 
language.  It  is  the  gasoline  of  endeavor. 
Feed  your  physical  and  mental  engine  with 
desire  and  it  will  go  any  distance  and  overcome 
any  obstacles. 

It  is  a  rich  world  we  live  in  and  every 
person  is  entitled  to  everything  that  he  or  she 
can    earn    by    honest    effort,    by    the    exer- 
cise of  unusual  talents,  or  the  utilizing  of  all 
his  physical  and  psychic  powers.     If  you  want  ^ 
to  quicken  any  of  your  faculties  or  liven  up  f 
another  person,  harness  up  some  idea  with  the 

(6) 


lure  of  a  desire.  Then  the  spotlight  of  your 
mind  will  be  turned  upon  it,  all  your  sub- 
conscious faculties,  all  your  past  experiences 
will  rush  into  action,  and  you  will  be  stirred 
with  a  fervor  like  the  ambition  of  youth. 

NEED  OF  CONCENTRATION 

Having  formed  a  great  Desire  it  is  neces- 
sary that  you  adopt  concentration  toward  that 
end.  The  practice  of  concentration  has  been 
thought  so  difficult  as  to  deter  many  from  at- 
tempting it.  Formerly  concentration  was  con- 
sidered a  secret  art  connected  with  the  miracu- 
lous and  was  shrouded  in  mystery  and  oc- 
cultism. Modern  psychology  has  torn  the  mask 
off  of  mysticisms.  Concentration  has  been 
analyzed,  and  found  to  be  easily  understood 
and  applied.  Exercises  and  methods  for  con- 
centration have  two  elements.  One  of  these  is 
to  arouse  the  interest  of  the  subject.  Then, 
having  focused  the  attention,  direct  the  mind 
towards  belief  that  a  hope  or  object  can  be 
realized. 

This  is  really  the  essense  of  prayer  in  all 
religions.  It  is  what  has  worked  such  wonders 
in  the  past  that  many  times  they  have  been 
called  miracles.  It  is  undoubtedly  the  most 
powerful  mental  agency  known  to  man,  as 
well  as  a  spiritual  agency.  Its  spiritual  side 
has  been  made  the  basis  of  religious  worship. 
But  it  will  not  interfere  with  a  person's 
religious  devotion  to  invoke  its  aid  in  material 
affairs.  This  use  of  it  is  essentially  a  mental 
device,  but  one  that  calls  for  the  exercise  of 
the  most  exalted  faculties. 

There  is  a  distinct  advantage  in  knowing 
the  underlying  truth  of  this  mental  process. 

(7) 


You  know  the  principles  with  which  you  have 
to  deal.  They  are  demonstrable  truths  of 
modern  science,  as  well  as  the  foundation 
stones  of  religion.  Here  is  where  science, 
practical  affairs  and  religion  meet  on  a  com-  | 
mon  basis. 

USING  YOUR  DYNAMIC  POWER 

There  is  a  power  greater  than  your  con- 
scious efforts.  It  is  the  stream  of  conscious- 
ness flowing  up  from  your  subconscious  mind. 
It  is  a  seething  torrent  of  activity  in  which 
your  strongest  mental,  emotional  and  physical 
forces  are  blended.  It  comes  from  the  same 
source  that  causes  your  heart  to  beat  with  un- 
ceasing rhythm,  that  carries  on  the  whole 
mighty  mechanism  of  your  body. 

A  good  illustration  of  this  up-bubbling 
stream  of  activity  from  the  subconscious 
depths,  is  the  Giant  Spring  of  Montana.  If 
you  go  a  few  miles  out  on  the  plains  from  the 
city  of  Great  Falls  you  will  suddenly  come 
upon  a  big  pool  of  water.  It  is  crystal  clear 
and  boils  up  in  hundreds  of  points.  It  is  like 
a  violently  agitated  tea  kettle  over  a  hot  fire — , 
yet  the  water  is  cold.  The  water  is  pushed  up 
from  below  by  some  mighty  unseen  hydraulic 
power.  The  spring  flows  away,  a  turbulent 
mighty  stream  to  the  Missouri  River.  The 
Indians  thought  that  the  Great  Spirit  caused 
these  waters  to  boil.  Of  course  we  know  it  is 
a  natural  artesian  well.  But  in  its  mysterious 
subterranean  power  it  is  like  the  hidden  force 
of  your  subconscious  mind. 

It  is  no  effort  for  a  healthy  person  to  merely    A 
Uve.    Neither  should  it  be  ar T  effort  for  you 
to  keep  moving  toward  a  great  object.    All 

(8) 


you  have  to  do  is  to  set  your  mental  helm. 
The  rest  should  be  automatic.  Your  sails  will 
then  naturally  catch  every  favoring  wind  of 
circumstance,  and  your  own  physical  dynamo 
within  should  drive  you  on  to  your  port. 

We  have  called  this  well  spring  from  the  in- 
ner self,  a  stream  of  consciousness.  But  it  is 
something  more.  It  is  consciousness  with  a 
Will.  It  can  flow  uphill  if  necessary,  rising 
and  overflowing  all  barriers.  It  is  a  conscious- 
ness that  is  imbued  with  all-seeing  vigilance 
and  will  work  unceasingly  day  and  night  to 
preserve  you,  to  fight  your  battles  and  carry 
you  on  toward  practical  success.  It  is  the 
least  expensive  agency  you  can  invoke,  for  it 
asks  no  compensation  but  your  approval  and  is 
willing  to  continue  its  service  till  the  end 
of  life. 

Make  a  daily  practice  of  thinking  of  your 
object  as  a  beloved  ideal.  This  will  not  only 
carry  you  forward  toward  it,  but  will  have 
the  effect  of  establishing  certain  inhibitory 
faculties,  to  keep  you  from  useless  activities. 
Anything  that  does  not  contribute  toward  your 
main  object  will  be  unconsciously  eliminated 
from  your  life.  This  does  not  mean  that  music, 
the  drama,  literature,  religion,  and  healthful 
sports  will  be  denied  you.  These  are  all  essen- 
tial to  development,  and  in  fact  will  contribute 
toward  any  worthy  object.  But  you  will  in- 
voluntarily refrain  from  cheap,  characterless 
pleasures,  that  militate  against  your  main  ob- 
ject. You  will  stop  wasting  your  time,  effort 
and  emotions  on  irrelevant  things.  You  will 
save  from  an  hour  of  anger  sufficient  energy 
to  carry  you  through  a  successful  day's  work. 

The  cherishf^ng  of  your  ideal  will  soon  be- 
come a  habit.  Instead  of  being  an  effort  it 

(9), 


will  be  an  inspiration  that  will  strengthen  and 
exhilarate.  Ihis  habit  will  build  up  a  mental 
machine  that  will  operate  of  its  own  volition,  a 
well  oiled  mechanism  that  will  work  without 
friction,  effort  or  even  conscious  thought  on 
your  part.  A  habit  thus  formed  and  operating 
constitutes  the  very  essence  of  concentration 
and  efficiency. 

GETTING  THE  CONFIDENT  LOOK 

This  plan  of  life  will  not  make  you  an 
emotionless  creature.  On  the  contrary  concen- 
tration, by  giving  you  greater  devotion  to  a 
cause  arouses  in  you  a  new  absorbing  passion. 
Under  its  influence,  the  trivial  things  of  life 
will  have  no  effect  upon  you.  You  will  lose 
the  fretful  jaded  look  that  so  many  men  and 
women  carry  around  with  them.  Your  natural 
unaffected  expression  of  face  will  be  that  of 
the  confident,  successful,  triumphant  man  or 
woman.  It  is  an  expression  of  inward  power 
and  poise  that  draws  people  to  you  and  in- 
spires confidence  in  you,  both  from  inferiors 
and  superiors. 

The  form  of  concentration  we  have  described 
begets  faith,  perfect  self-confidence  ,and  un- 
shaken resolve.  It  leads  to  self  realization  in 
the  highest  degree.  With  such  a  mental  atti- 
tude you  cannot  avoid  focusing  all  your  activi- 
ties toward  a  desired  end. 

-  By  a  natural  psychological  law  only  such 
physical  impulses  will  be  released  in  action 
as  are  associated  with  the  trend  of  your 
thought  and  desire. 

So  without  conscious  effort  you  will  in- 
stinctively act  in  the  right  way  as  opportuni- 
ties arise.  This  is  the  key  to  success. 

(10) 


The  concentrated  mind  influences  others. 
There  is  so  much  vacillation,  indecision  and 
lack  of  purpose  among  people  in  general,  that 
a  man  who  has  a  positive  purpose  bends  nega- 
tive minds  to  his  will.  Influencing  others  is 
one  of  the  highest  forms  of  human  activity. 
It  is  also  the  cardinal  principle  in  money  mak- 
ing and  great  achievements. 

INFLUENCING  OTHERS 

The  man  or  woman  whom  you  wish  to  in- 
fluence is  a  problem  to  be  solved.  He  or  she 
has  moods,  interests,  tastes  and  habits.  He 
has  affections,  hatreds,  prejudices  and  resist- 
ances, a  few  fixed  ideas,  and  many  associations 
of  ideas.  He,  like  you  is  an  animated  con- 
sciousness, a  being  of  impulses. 

If  you  can  but  press  the  button,  that  releases 
the  right  impulse,  you  can  make  him  do  the 
thing  you  desire,  if  it  be  morally  right.  The 
easy  way  is  to  avoid  the  subjects  that  arouse 
his  antagonism,  and  fill  his  mind  with  pleasant 
images.  His  consciousness,  like  a  child's,  is 
incessantly  busy  grasping  for  new  impressions. 
If  you  can  present  a  series  of  subjects  or 
images  to  his  mind's  eye  in  the  exact  rhythm 
in  which  his  mental  activity  moves,  you  can 
gain  complete  possession  of  his  consciousness. 
In  this  way  you  will  be  able  to  concentrate  his 
attention  upon  you  and  your  demand. 

You  have  then  only  to  ask  him  to  do  the 
thing  you  wish,  and  his  natural  instinct  will 
be  to  comply.  This  is  the  basis  of  all  effec- 
tive educational  work.  This  is  also  the  under- 
lying principle  of  salesmanship,  of  the  ora- 
tor's art  and  the  lawyer's  plea. 

(ID 


Children  have  this  faculty  as  a  natural 
instinct.  They  talk  to  a  parent  about  the  thing 
that  they  desire,  ask  for  it  and  generally  get 
it.  But  strangely  enough  as  people  grow  older 
they  usually  lose  this  art.  Conventionalities 
make  them  conceal  their  thoughts  and  desires 
and  their  demands  upon  others.  But  this  lost 
art  is  one  that  must  be  rediscovered.  The 
great  strong  men  and  women  are  the  ones  that 
go  through  life  holding  on  to  their  faith  in 
others,  asking  for  the  things  they  want,  and 
they  usually  get  them. 

Bear  in  mind  that  in  influencing  others,  your 
measure  of  success  will  lie  in  your  ability  to 
concentrate  their  attention  on  your  demands. 
You  can  do  this  only  by  concentrating  your 
own  attention  upon  some  subject  or  object. 
You  will  thus  control  your  own  words  and 
actions  and  be  able  to  set  up  an  inductive  train 
of  thought  force  that  will  have  a  dominating 
effect  on  others.  You  will  succeed  if  your 
demands  be  right.  The  normal  person  revolts 
against  what  is  morally  wrong. 

Concentration  is  an  art,  but  it  is  not  difficult 
if  you  understand  the  law  governing  it.  That 
law  is  Desire.  If  you  wish  a  certain  thing 
deeply  enough,  you  will  involuntarily  bring  all 
your  latent  energies  to  work  toward  its  attain- 
ment. A  great  physician  once  laid  down  a 
hard  regime  for  a  patient  to  follow  to  regain 
health. 

"Do  this,"  he  said,  "and  all  the  pleasures  of 
life  will  be  yours."  The  effect  was  electri- 
fying. It  was  no  effort  thereafter  for  the 
patient  to  diet  and  exercise.  "All  the  pleas- 
ures of  life,"  acted  like  the  most  marvelous 
stimulant.  Who  would  not  be  thrilled  by  a  lure 
like  that? 

(12) 


An  old-fashioned  theologian  might  condemn 
such  a  promise,  with  its  worldly  suggestion. 
But  the  physician  was  after  a  certain  result 
and  so  he  appealed  to  the  deepest  instinct  in 
human  nature, — the  desire  for  pleasure,  and  he 
won.  The  patient  was  restored  to  health  and 
he  then  saw  that  the  greatest  "pleasures  in 
life"  were  health  and  right  living.  The  physi- 
cian's object  was  to  get  his  patient  to  concen- 
trate on  a  desire  to  attain  health,  instead  of 
wandering  in  a  maze  of  gloomy  hopeless 
thoughts,  and  gratifying  of  passion. 

Being  sure  that  you  now  see  the  logical  need 
for  concentration,  we  will  append  the  follow- 
ing seven  rules  for  the  daily  and  systematic 
practice  of  concentration. 

SUMMARY  OF  RULES  FOR 
CONCENTRATION 

1.  Make  up  your  mind  on  one  definite  ob- 
ject you  wish  to  possess  or  accomplish. 

2.  Form  a  plear  mental  image  of  the  object 
you  desire,  and  picture  yourself  as  already 
possessing  it. 

3.  Cherish  this  in  your  mind  till  it  is  asso- 
ciated with  pleasing  emotions  and  a  roseate 
setting. 

4.  Think   of  ways   and   means   of  accom- 
plishing   it    and    have    perfect    faith    in    its 
realization. 

5.  Saturate  your  mind  with  all  the  knowl- 
edge you  can  get  pertaining  to  the  desired 
object.    Tabulate  and  chart  it  in  words  and 
diagrams. 

6.  Summon  all  your  powers  of  mind  and 
body  to  its  attainment. 

7.  Give  free  rein  to  all  outward  activities 
that  lead  toward  your  desire. 

(13) 


These  are  concentrative  processes  which  will 
develop  Mind  Power  and  lead  to  Success. 
Practice  the  mental  processes  at  night  when 
retiring,  for  a  few  moments.  Go  to  sleep  with 
the  comforting  faith  that  you  are  one  day  nearer 
your  heart's  ambition.  This  pleasing  thought 
carried  into  sleep  will  give  you  refreshment 
and  you  will  awake  with  the  buoyancy  of 
youth,  fitted  to  take  up  the  quest  of  your 
object  writh  renewed  zest. 

On  awaking  call  the  cherished  image  to  your 
mind  for  a  few  moments.  At  these  times 
there  need  be  no  hard  thinking  and  planning, 
but  merely  joyous  anticipation.  Leave  the 
actual  work  connected  with  your  object,  to  the 
regular  hours  of  the  business  day.  The  mental 
pursuit  of  your  object  must  be  a  pleasure.  The 
mind  needs  this  pleasurable  element  in  order 
to  recreate  your  faculties  and  keep  your 
efficiency  up  to  the  highest  point. 

The  laws  and  rules  which  we  have  stated 
are  as  well  proven  as  the  laws  of  electricity 
and  mechanics.  It  is  absolutely  certain  that 
success  will  crown  your  efforts  if  you  will  follow 
these  laws  conscientiously  and  continuously. 
If  followed  in  this  way,  you  will  enjoy  the 
pursuit  of  your  object  as  much  as  its  reali- 
zation. All  the  pathway  of  life  will  be  bright- 
ened from  the  moment  you  first  really  grasp 
these  principles  and  begin  to  apply  them. 


THE  SUPERIOR  MEN  AND  WOMEN: 
TYPES  NOW  DEVELOPING 

Mankind  has  risen  to  the  present  plane  by 
the  fact  that  man  can  create  what  he  wants 

(H) 


to  create.  Human  progress  is  not  going  to 
halt  now.  The  same  forces  are  at  work  now 
as  in  the  past,  and  will  carry  men  to  greater 
achievements  than  in  the  past.  The  past  cen- 
tury witnessed  great  mechanical  inventions,  and 
the  spreading  of  industries  over  vast  stretches 
of  new  territory.  The  present  century  is  being 
marked  by  the  revelations  of  mind  power,  in 
the  building  up  of  great  human  organizations 
and  the  bringing  to  the  front  of  individuals 
who  can  plan  such  stupendous  systems.  These 
leaders  are  men  and  women  of  concentration 
and  creative  imagination.  By  the  mastery  of 
their  mind  power  they  easily  keep  their  leader- 
ship These  are  the  superior  men  and  women. 

What  they  do  others  can  do.  Nothing  is 
insuperable  to  those  who  will  look  up,  desire 
largely  and  make  the  best  possible  use  of  their 
minds.  Like  most  great  things,  this  method, 
too,  is  simple  when  once  understood.  The 
psychological  laws  which  we  have  stated  are 
easily  understood  and  if  conformed  with,  open 
the  way  to  all  worthy  achievement.  The  new 
types  of  humanity  are  developing  along  these 
lines.  They  foreshadow  what  the  men  and 
women  of  the  future  will  be. 


Success  in  a  reasonable  degree  can  be  at- 
tained by  any  normal  person  by  conforming  to 
certain  rules  and  laws.  To  understand  these 
laws  does  not  require  any  unusual  powers. 
They  can  be  learned  by  the  average  man  or 
woman  and  applied  as  easily  as  the  rules  for 
playing  the  game  of  whist,  baseball  or  billiards. 
It  then  becomes  simply  a  matter  of  practice 
and  application.  Following  are  ten  laws  of 
Success : 

(15) 


LAWS  OF  SUCCESS 

1.  Your  success  will  be  in  direct  proportion 
to  the   degree  you  are  able  to  inspire  and 
direct  others.     One-man  success  is  limited. 

2.  Make  organization  and  co-operation  the 
key-notes  of  your  life  plan. 

3.  Order  and  system  are  the  bases  of  effi- 
ciency and  the  foundation  of  any  successful 
business. 

4.  Make  time  and  motion  studies  of  every 
operation  in  order  to  save  time,  money  and 
useless  effort. 

5.  Have  a  time  schedule  and  keep  up  to  it 
throughout  the  day. 

6.  Develop  a  good  memory,  the  power  of 
accurate  observation  and  a  wide  range  of  at- 
tention.   These  qualities  make  a  superintend- 
ent or  executive. 

7.  Pleasure  taken  in  doing  work  doubles  or 
quadruples  the  output  in  office,  shop  or  home. 

8.  Moderate  profit  and  rapid  turnover  are 
what  build  up  big  business. 

9.  Form   a  habit   of  getting  command   of 
yourself   every   morning   and   keeping   com- 
mand of  yourself  all  through  the  day. 

10.  Find  the  simple  and  happy  way  of  doing 
everything.  Practice  smiling  as  a  business 
asset. 

In  the  following  lessons  we  shall  state  other 
fundamental  laws  and  methods  to  insure  bodily 
health  and  well  being  and  mental  powers  to 
attain  any  material  things  that  a  man  or 
woman  can  reasonably  desire,  through  the 
power  of  mind,  and  the  use  of  right  methods 
and  principles. 

(16) 


Thinking  Ahead 

MIND  POWER  BUILDING  SERIES 
Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Hey  wood 


LECTURE  X 


YOU   now   know   how   an   ordinary   card 
"tickler"  can  be  made  an  appointment 
calendar  and  a  reference  index  for  im- 
portant matters.     You  can  carry  its  use  still 
further  and  make  it  your  automatic  private 
secretary. 

If  you  are  a  manager  and  have  occasion  to 
say:  "I  want  that  order  filled  by  the  15th," 
who  is  there  to  remind  you  if  the  order  is  not 
filled?  Your  card  index  should  do  it.  Place 
a  note  of  your  order  under  date  of  the  15th, 
and  if  it  is  not  filled  on  that  morning,  your 
note  of  it  is  right  at  hand.  You  will  soon  be 
known  as  a  person  who  never  overlooks 
anything. 

If  you  are  a  salesman  or  correspondent,  a 
secretary,  an  organizer,  a  professional  man  or 
a  promoter  and  have  to  deal  with  many  people, 
it  is  well  to  have  a  separate  card  index  for 
dealing  with  persons  and  subjects. 

If  you  are  a  salesman,  this  method  is  almost 
indispensable  in  putting  down  a  customer's 
peculiarities.  If  a  certain  man  likes  golf,  you 
can  always  score  a  hit  on  your  approach  by 
some  allusion  to  his  favorite  sport. 

When  you  are  going  out  to  see  a  number 
of  customers,  take  their  cards  out  of  the  file, 
put  them  in  your  pocketbook  and  consult  each 
man's  card  before  calling  on  him.  After  the 
interview,  make  notes  of  any  new  points  in 
his  character.  If  people  begin  to  wonder  about 

CD 


your  knowledge  of  human  nature,  you  can 
merely  "look  wise"  or  take  them  into  a  cor- 
ner and  whisper  the  secret  of  your  wonderful 
memory. 

A  good  plan,  if  you  are  a  salesman,  cor- 
respondent or  writer,  is  to  have  a  subject  card 
index  also,  perhaps  in  the  same  drawer  with 
the  personal  index.  On  these  subject  cards 
you  can  jot  down  answers  to  objections:  "Can't 
afford  it";  'Trice  top  high";  "Will  buy  later," 
etc.  Every  new  point  that  is  gleaned  on  any 
of  these  and  other  subjects  should  be  noted. 
This  keeps  a  person's  stock  of  ideas  and  argu- 
ments always  fresh  and  up  to  the  minute.  You 
are  fortified  at  every  turn  and  can  soon  be  a 
top-notcher  in  your  line. 

HOW  TO  BECOME  THE  MAN  OF  THE 
HOUR 

If  you  are  called  upon  to  write  an  article 
make  a  speech  or  train  men  and  women,  you 
can  pull  out  your  subject  cards  at  any  time  and 
and  have  a  whole  bunch  of  telling  points  to  set 
forth  without  any  effort  whatever.  You  are 
prepared  for  any  contingency,  and  you  know 
what  this  means  in  the  business  or  social 
world.  You  become  the  man  or  woman  of 
the  hour  or  the  minute. 

If  you  are  offered  a  position  higher  up  or 
if  you  are  called  away  from  the  office  or  need 
to  take  a  trip  on  the  road,  you  can  turn  your 
system  over  to  an  assistant,  and  your  depart- 
ment can  be  carried  on  with  perfect  ease. 
When  it  is  learned  by  the  higher-ups  that  you 
have  this  faculty  of  systematizing  things,  there 
will  always  be  better  positions  for  you,  and 
you  will  soon  be  one  of  the  higher-ups  your- 
self. You  will  then  know  how  to  systematize 
any  business  and  train  others  in  these  methods. 

2) 


FORMING  HABIT  OF  CONSTRUCTIVE 
THINKING 

In  the  lesson  just  before  this,  the  under 
lying  principles  of  concentration  and  creative 
imagination  have  been  fully  explained.  We 
will  now  suggest  a  method  of  using  these  two 
qualities  in  a  very  practical  way — a  way  great 
achievers  have  used  in  building  fortunes. 

Take  fifteen  minutes  each  day  and  devote 
to  sizing  up  things  in  solitude.  Then  plan  the 
work  for  tomorrow,  next  week,  next  month, 
next  year.  Do  it  in  solitude  because  then  is 
when  you  see  things  in  their  right  proportions. 
Weigh  things,  strike  a  balance,  decide 
whether  you  are  going  forward  or  backward. 
Apply  this  planning  to  your  business  some 
time  during  the  day.  In  the  evening,  make  a 
mental  survey  of  the  day  and  outline  the  mor- 
row's work,  and  call  up  some  big  ideal  to  cheer 
and  inspire  you. 

GET  THE  LONG  RANGE  VISION 

The  man  who  goes  along  without  this  prac- 
tice of  sizing  up  things  in  solitude  is  like  the 
merchant  who  keeps  no  record,  who  pays  his 
bills  from  the  cash  drawer  and  takes  what  is 
left  for  profit.  He  will  still  be  running  a  little 
shop  in  twenty  years,  while  his  competitor, 
who  sized  things  up  each  day,  will  be  in  the 
wholesale  business  or  manufacturing  or  living 
on  the  interest  of  his  money. 

Try  sizing  things  up  in  solitude  for  two 
weeks  and  the  effect  will  be  so  good  you  will 
keep  on  of  your  own  accord.  Think. 

A  simple  device  that  many  business  men 
and  women  find  very  helpful  in  concentrating 

(3) 


is  to  have  a  small  bright  object  on  the  desk. 
It  may  be  a  mirror,  a  miniature  picture,  a  little 
image,  a  watch  or  a  glass  ball  as  a  paper 
weight.  As  the  eyes  are  arrested  and  focused 
on  this  object,  the  rnind  concentrates  naturally 
on  any  desired  subject. 

Many  do  not  know  the  reason  why  they  like 
to  have  such  an  object  at  hand  to  look  at,  but 
by  understanding  the  scientific  truth  about  it 
you  can  use  this  device  all  the  more  effectively. 
Try  it.  Then  take  out  your  pencil  and  chart 
out  the  images  and  ideas  that  come  into  your 
mind. 

QUESTIONS— LECTURES  IX  AND  X 

1.  What  is  the  first   step   toward   forming 
the  habit  of  concentration? 

2.  How  can  a  person  automatically  move 
toward  a  chosen  object? 

3.  What  process  are  you  adopting  for  get- 
ing  the  confident  look? 

4.  What  is  an   easy  and   effective  way  of 
influencing  others? 

5.  Which   of   the   seven   rules   for   concen- 
tration do  you  find  the  most  effective? 

6.  What  is  a  good  plan  for  originating  an 
idea?     How  have  you  applied  it? 

7.  Just  how  are  you  using  the  card  index 
for  persons  and  subjects? 

8.  To  what  degree  have  you  systematized 
your  work  by  the  methods  outlined  in  this 
system?     Give  a  specific  example. 

9.  Have  you  attempted  to  train  others  in 
these  methods,  and  with  what  success? 

10.  What  methods  of  concentration  and 
planning  ahead  are  you  applying  to  your  daily 
work? 

(4) 


Art  of  Letter  Writing 

MIND  POWER  BUILDING  SERIES 
Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Heywood 


LECTURE  XI 


YOU    HAVE    now    acquired    methods   of 
systematizing   your   work,   attending   to 
details  with  ease  and  eliminating  stress 
and  strain  in  your  day's  work.     There  is  one 
other  very  important  thing  to  consider  in  con- 
nection with  personal  efficiency.    That  is  letter- 
writing.     Whether  you  simply  write  social  let- 
ers  or  business  letters,  there  are  some  essen- 
tial  poirits   to   be   observed   for   getting   the 
desired  results. 

There  is  too  much  "I"  and  "We"  in  the  be- 
ginning of  the  average  letter.  It's  "We  have 
this,"  or  "I  have  done  so  and  so."  The  thing 
that  warms  the  heart  of  your  correspondent  is 
something  about  him  or  his  affairs  in  the  first 
sentence.  Then  you  can  bring  in  your  purpose 
and  object  of  writing  to  him.  This  should  be 
a  very  simple  and  direct  statement  of  the  thing 
in  a  nutshell  so  that  he  can  grasp  the  idea  at 
once.  Then  you  can  go  on  and  state  the  neces- 
sary details  in  following  paragraphs.  As  far 
as  possible,  never  let  your  business  letter  run 
over  one  page. 

MAKE  A  DISTINCT  REQUEST 

At  the  conclusion,  summarize  things  in  a 
pithy  sentence  and  make  a  distinct  and  well- 
defined  request  for  what  you  wish,  coupled 
with  some  more  cordial  sentiment  in  closing 
than  the  conventional,  "Yours  truly."  Extend 


your  "best  wishes' '  or  something  real  hearty. 
With  a  cordial  beginning  and  ending  of  aM 
letters,  your  correspondents  will  soon  get  to 
looking  forward  to  receiving  your  letters  with 
pleasure,  and  you  usually  will  get  what  you 
want  from  them. 

Now  a  word  about  form  letters.  It  is  well 
to  have  a  carefully  worked-out  set  of  para- 
graphs, numbered  and  pasted  on  a  cardboard, 
easy  for  the  correspondent  and  the  stenog- 
rapher to  handle.  In  this  way,  letters  can 
easily  be  dictated  by  using  the  numbers  of  the 
paragraphs.  But  the  tendency  in  using  form 
letters  is  to  overlook  the  particular  inquiry  in 
your  correspondent's  letter  that  no  form  para- 
graph can  answer.  If  you  don't  do  that,  he 
is  lost  as  a  friend  or  a  customer. 

ANALYZE  YOUR  CORRESPONDENT 

The  man  who  writes  a  successful  letter  must 
divine  his  customer's  mental  attitude,  his  tastes, 
needs  and  tendencies.  He  must  be  able  to 
look  into  the  mind  of  his  correspondent  and 
make  his  argument  conform  to  the  other  per- 
son's attitude. 

Drop  all  stilted,  meaningless  phrases  like: 
"Your  letter  at  hand,  and  replying  to  the 
same."  Write  as  you  would  talk.  Use  simple, 
colloquial  English.  Sometimes  slang  is  per- 
missible if  you  know  your  correspondent  likes 
that  kind  of  thing. 

With  these  principles  in  mind,  turn  loose 
all  your  wit  and  enthusiasm  and  make  every 
letter  a  live-wire  message.  Put  all  your  psy- 
chology and  dynamic  power  into  your  every- 
day letters,  and  you  will  soon  be  surprised 
at  the  responses  that  will  flood  in  upon  you. 

(2) 


FUNDAMENTAL  PRINCIPLES 

We  are  now  approaching  the  end  of  this 
series  of  lessons. 

The  principles  and  methods  outlined  in  them 
are  fundamental.  They  can  be  applied  to 
any  occupation  or  any  station  in  life.  The 
methods  may  be  modified  to  suit  your  pecu- 
liar circumstances.  That  should  be  your  indi- 
vidual study.  Add  to  this  constructive 
thought,  self-analysis  and  creative  imagina- 
tion and  any  person  can  become  a  growing 
power  in  some  field  of  achievement. 

It  is  not  a  difficult  process.  The  right 
kind  of  development  comes  as  simply  and 
naturally  as  the  growth  of  a  plant  or  a  child. 
It  begins  by  acquiring  a  certain  receptive 
mental  attitude,  and  then  learning  and  apply- 
ing certain  principles  and  methods.  They  are 
the  same  principles  and  methods  that  the 
heads  of  large  concerns  have  applied  either 
consciously  or  unconsciously  in  building 
themselves  up. 

By  studying  these  things  early  in  life,  you 
may  be  able  to  get  started  toward  the  high 
places  younger  than  those  who  have  not  had 
the  advantage  of  this  knowledge. 

Or,  if  you  are  getting  older  and  yet  not 
progressing  as  fast  as  you  wish,  perhaps  all 
you  need  is  a  little  keying  up  of  the  facul- 
ties to  give  you  command  of  greater  powers 
than  you  ever  dreamed  of.  There  is  practi- 
cally no  age  limit  for  the  man  or  woman  who 
looks  up  and  is  fired  by  a  great  ambition. 

About  the  only  difference  between  men  is 
their  ideas.  Whenever  men  or  women  really 
make  a  start  and  go  after  big  things,  they 
usually  find  that  they  are  able  to  match  wits 

(3) 


with  the  best  of  their  fellowmen.  When  they 
begin  to  play  to  win,  they  get  their  share  of 
the  prizes  of  life.  It  is  only  the  man  or 
woman  who  hasn't  awakened  and  has  no 
object  who  gets  nowhere.  | 

WAKE  UP  TO  YOUR  POSSIBILITIES 

The  object  of  these  lessons  is  to  show  peo- 
ple their  own  possibilities  and  how  to  use 
their  faculties  so  as  to  do  all  the  hard  and 
exacting  things  which  they  have  to  do  in  a 
simple  and  happy  way.  By  doing  things  in 
this  way,  they  can  do  more  and  better  work 
in  eight  hours  than  they  formerly  did  in  nine 
or  ten  hours.  They  can  eliminate  fatigue  and 
take  a  positive  joy  in  their  work. 

Employers  are  now  looking  for  men  and 
women  who  can  do  a  day's  work  in  shorter 
hours.  They  don't  want  the  slow  pokes  and 
the  long  grind. 

It  has  been  discovered  that  an  idea  held  in 
the  mind  for  three  minutes  each  day  ,  or  a 
thing  that  you  do  for  that  short  length  of 
time  daily,  in  six  weeks  will  have  become 
a  fixed  habit,  so  that  you  will  do  and  think 
that  way  thereafter. 

That  is  why  we  have  laid  this  out  as  a  six 
weeks  to  twelve  weeks  course.  In  that  length 
of  time  you  should  be  well  grounded  in  all 
the  essential  principles  of  personal  efficiency. 

The  following  lecture  will  deal  with  the  Laws 
of  Wealth  and  Laws  of  Health.  Not  only  read 
them  but  practice  them  continuously,  zealously. 
They  may  work  miracles  for  you.  Concentrate 
upon  them  and  work  them  out  for  your  great  (I 
good  and  the  benefit  of  others  with  whom  you 
are  associated. 

(4) 


Laws  of  Wealth  and  Laws 
of  Health 

MIND  POWER  BUILDING  SERIES 
Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Heywood 


LECTURE  XII 


IN  AN  early  part  of  this  course  it  has 
been  intimated  that  old  maxims  about 
industry,  economy  and  early  to  bed  and 
early  to  rise,  are  no  longer  dependable  guides 
to  success  and  wealth.  The  reason  for  this 
is  that  something  more  is  necessary  in  these 
days  when  wealth  has  ceased  to  be  counted 
by  mere  thousands,  but  by  millions  and  bil- 
lions, and  the  world's  big  tasks  demand 
a  superior  type  of  men  and  women.  Many  peo- 
ple who  are  perfectly  capable  of  achieving  dis- 
tinction or  wealth  are  on  the  lower  rungs  of 
the  ladder  because  their  mental  conceptions 
have  not  been  large  enough  and  their  aims 
not  sufficiently  definite. 

There  is  a  kind  of  wealth  that  makes  a 
man  mean,  stingy  and  small-minded;  and  the 
chances  are  it  was  accumulated  under  the 
old  maxims.  But  the  great  fortunes  of  the 
present  day  have  mostly  been  made  by  men 
who  blocked  out  a  large  idea,  and  then 
worked  up  to  it.  They  have  made  money  by 
investing  all  their  own  money  and  borrowing 
as  much  more  as  their  financial  and  moral 
credit  would  permit.  They  have  set  count- 
less forces  at  work  and  brought  prosperity 
to  many  others,  in  their  own  progress  up- 
ward. Wealth,  with  them,  was  a  mental  crea- 


tion.     It  was  at  first  only  an  idea  based  on 
a  possibility  of  achievement. 

Wealth  is  not  an  invariable  consequence  of 
industry,  but  is  the  result  of  a  logical  idea 
followed  by  mental  effort  with  well  chosen 
conditions.  A  multitude  of  people  are  in- 
dustrious but  never  get  rich.  An  essential 
thing  is  that  their  industry  shall  be  directed 
toward  a  profitable  possibility.  Unless  guid- 
ed by  mental  forces  with  a  well  chosen 
object,  industry  simply  devotes  itself  to  labor 
of  the  humblest  kind.  It  shovels  dirt,  saws 
wood,  carries  mortar,  works  on  railroad 
tracks  and  builds  roads.  These  are  all  useful 
occupations,  but  they  are  what  we  are  all 
trying  to  avoid  doing  ourselves  and  leaving 
for  those  of  less  mentality  and  mere  physical 
powers. 

WHAT  MASTER  MINDS  DO 

It  takes  high  mental  forces  to  conceive  of 
and  guide  the  enterprises  in  which  common 
labor  is  employed.  Such  enterprises  provide 
the  men  of  undeveloped  mentality  with  op- 
portunity for  sustenance.  Wealth  thus  em- 
ployed stretches  railroads  across  the  conti- 
nent, opens  mines.  It  engages  in  real  estate 
projects,  builds  skyscrapers  and  colonizes 
large  tracts  and  constructs  towns.  It  estab- 
lishes schools  and  universities. 

In  its  manifold  workings  many  men,  be- 
sides the  original  projectors  rise  to  compe- 
tence and  wealth.  Even  the  humblest  lines 
of  industry  give  some  alert  men  the  stimulus 
and  opportunity  which  start  them  on  the 
road  to  achievement  and  wealth.  The  pro- 
motors  of  these  great  enterprises  are  not 

(2) 


always  men  of  wealth.  Sometimes  these 
things  are  done  by  men  and  women  with 
only  a  vision  and  others  furnish  the  capital. 
These  are  the  master  minds  that  make  civi- 
lization and  progress. 

Back  of  all  great  things  is  mind  power. 
Perhaps  the  day  will  arrive  when  all  will  be 
compensated  alike,  from  track  worker  to  rail- 
road president,  but  until  that  day  arrives, 
men  and  women  must  use  their  mental 
forces  in  such  a  way  as  to  get  a  certain 
degree  of  wealth  so  as  to  surround  them- 
selves and  their  families  with  the  comfort- 
able and  pleasing  things  of  life. 

This  course  of  lessons  thus  far  has  dealt 
with  the  various  phases  of  the  mind,  from 
the  simplest  processes  up  to  concentration 
and  creative  imagination.  If  you  have  fol- 
lowed this  method  of  mental  development  up 
to  this  point  you  will  be  prepared  to  take  the 
next  step  upward  to  the  highest  plane  of 
human  endeavor,  and  the  application  of 
mind  power  in  carrying  you  forward  in  the 
working  out  of  plans  for  material  or  intel- 
lectual achievement. 

We  assume  that  the  wealth  that  you  wTant, 
you  are  desirous  of  creating,  of  supplying 
some  useful  need  for  which  people  will  be 
glad  to  give  you  a  reasonable  compensation. 
Wealth  in  its  truest  sense  is  inert  matter 
welded  into  useful  forms,  or  service  ren- 
dered. Uncountable  millions  are  still  buried 
in  the  earth,  or  concealed  in  the  air  ready 
for  the  magic  touch  of  human  effort  and 
ideas  to  bring  forth  the  materialized  riches. 

The  first  thing  to  consider  is  the  making 
of  the  greatest  possible  use  of  your  mind 
power.  Mind  power  developed  to  a  high 

(3) 


degree,  under  full  control  of  your  conscious- 
ness and  will,  puts  you  in  position  to  attain 
anything  possible  to  a  human  being. 

Psychology,  which  is  the  science  of  mental 
processes  and  operations,  must  be  the  ulti- 
mate study  of  every  man  and  woman  who 
wants  to  master  the  art  of  doing  things  with 
the  least  friction  of  body  and  mind.  All  this 
stress  and  struggle  of  modern  life  is  a  proc- 
ess in  which  one  person  is  seeking  to  control  the 
trol  the  bodily  activities  and  influence  the 
minds  of  other  people.  Employers  want  to 
direct  the  conduct  of  their  employes.  Em- 
ployes want  to  win  the  confidence  of  their 
superiors  and  convince  them  of  the  value  of 
their  services.  Wives  want  to  influence  their 
husbands  and  help  them  in  their  careers. 
Mothers  and  fathers  want  to  control  and 
direct  the  minds  of  their  children.  Teachers 
want  to  exercise  an  uplifting  and  command- 
ing influence  over  their  pupils.  The  manu- 
facturer, the  buyer,  the  seller,  the  adver- 
tiser, the  lawyer,  all  are  seeking  to  control 
the  human  elements  they  come  in  contact 
with  and  thereby  accomplish  certain  results, 
with  the  least  possible  amount  of  time,  ef- 
fort and  worry.  How  to  do  this  can  be 
learned  by  a  constant  study  and  application 
of  the  laws  governing  the  human  mind. 

DEVELOPING  MENTAL  SECOND  WIND 

In  embarking  upon  high  achievement  you 
will  soon  come  to  a  point  where  it  is  neces- 
sary to  make  more  than  an  ordinary  effort. 
The  athlete  always  faces  this  situation  in  any 
contest.  The  first  part  of  a  sprint  is  made 
with  spontaneous  energy.  Then  comes  the 

(4) 


period  when  the  physical  energy  lags.  The 
will  then  comes  into  play  and  makes  the 
runner  keep  on.  Presently  the  feeling  of 
fatigue  disappears  and  the  sprinter  is  able  to 
make  a  new  burst  of  speed.  This  is  a  well 
known  fact  and  is  called  "second  wind." 

There  is  a  mental  "second  wind"  that  oper- 
ates in  the  same  way.  It  is  called  into  operation 
by  making  a  distinct  effort  of  will  at  the 
point  where  the  first  feeling  of  fatigue  oc- 
curs. Men  who  have  attempted  difficult 
things,  who  have  entered  into  strenuous  finan- 
cial enterprises,  know  well  this  sensation  of 
weariness  at  a  certain  point  and  the  will 
power  that  carries  them  on  to  the  next  level 
of  physical  and  mental  effort.  Those  who 
are  able  to  scramble  up  to  this  higher  plane 
of  effort  are  the  winners  of  the  prizes  of 
life. 

ART  OF  VISUALIZATION 

There  are  supreme  moments  in  a  person's 
life  when  he  needs  to  use  all  his  mind  power. 
To  one  engaged  in  great  pursuits  these  mo- 
ments come  often, — every  day, — in  fact  life 
seems  a  continuous  succession  of  them.  So  it 
is  well  to  have  a  way  of  meeting  them  without 
stress,  or  worry.  A  device  that  wil  help  you 
to  do  this  is  to  practice  visualization. 

When  such  a  critical  moment  is  impending, 
sit  down  in  your  office  or  any  secluded  place, 
close  your  eyes  and  make  yourself  unconscious 
of  present  sensations.  Expel  all  distracting 
thoughts  from  your  mind.  Make  a  mental  im- 
age of  yourself  in  just  the  position  you  are 
about  to  be.  Picture  all  the  surroundings. 
Imagine  all  the  other  persons  who  will  enter 
into  it.  See  yourself  facing  the  situation,  in 

(5) 


the  way  you  wish  to.  Picture  yourself  as 
resourceful,  diplomatic,  persuasive,  triumphant, 
succeeding  in  getting  what  you  are  after.  Feel 
the  thrill  of  joy  in  accomplishment. 

As  your  mind  comes  back  to  your  surround- 
ings, from  this  vision,  you  will  find  that  you 
have  become  possessed  of  the  qualities  you  need 
for  this  emergency.  When  you  meet  the  real 
situation  you  will  be  fortified  at  every  turn. 
All  the  expedients  you  devised  in  advance  will 
be  ready  to  use  and  other  resources  will  spring 
out  of  your  subconsciousness  to  aid  you.  You 
will  thus  play  your  part  masterfully  and  the 
chances  are  all  in  favor  of  your  winning. 

AID  TO  ACHIEVEMENT 

You  can  apply  this  method  to  any  circum- 
stances or  conditions.  You  can  visualize  a 
coming  interview  as  you  walk  along  the  street 
on  the  way  to  keep  an  appointment.  When 
you  arrive  at  the  office  of  the  person  you  are 
to  see,  you  can  have  so  refreshed  and  fortified 
yourself  that  you  will  be  invincible.  By  this 
process  of  Visualization,  you  create  ideas  that 
aid  you  in  bringing  about  the  results  you  de- 
sire. It  carries  you  on  to  higher  plane  of 
thought  and  action,  and  helps  you  to  get  your 
"second  wind"  whenever  the  need  arises.  The 
habit  of  Visualization  will  bring  many  a  flash 
of  inspiration  from  your  subconscious  mind. 
It  will  suggest  hitherto  undreamed  of  expe- 
dients and  modes  of  action. 

It  is  a  good  plan  to  set  aside  for  Visualiza- 
tion the  drowsy  moments  just  preceding  sleep 
at  night,  and  upon  awakening  in  the  morning. 
At  such  times  the  mind  is  peculiarly  responsive 
to  conjuring  up  mental  images  and  sending 

(6) 


messages  down  to  your  deeper  mind  to  in- 
duce action  at  the  appropriate  time.  There  is 
another  very  practical  method  and  time  for 
visualization  which  is  used  by  directors  of 
great  enterprises.  It  is  in  midst  of  the  hurry 
and  whirl  of  the  business  day,  as  already  de- 
scribed. 

SEEING  THROUGH  BRICK  WALLS 

While  sitting  at  your  office  desk,  by  an  ef- 
fort of  will  you  can  make  your  consciousness 
rise  up  and  beyond  your  body  until  you  feel 
as  if  you  are  above  your  business  place  and 
looking  down  upon  all  the  workers  and  man- 
agers and  their  operations. 

Your  mind's  eye  penetrates  roof,  floors,  walls 
and  no  secrets  are  hidden  from  you.  You  see 
everything  that  is  being  done  and  you  hear 
what  is  said  in  all  departments.  You  have  a 
consciousness  that  you  are  in  touch  with  every 
person  and  every  detail  of  the  place.  You  have 
heard  of  men  who  could  do  this.  Any  person 
of  intelligence  can  cultivate  this  faculty.  There 
is  no  mystery  about  it.  It  is  a  phase  of  brain 
and  mind  evolution. 

You  can  carry  this  process  still  farther.  You 
can  allow  your  imagination  to  carry  you  to  dis- 
tant countries,  on  pleasure  or  business  projects. 
Your  expanding  mind  will  seem  to  be  cogni- 
zant of  things  beyond  the  knowledge  possible 
to  acquire  in  any  other  way.  Many  a  great 
business  project  has  been  started  in  this  man- 
ner. Many  an  inspiration  for  a  great  career 
has  been  received  while  a  person's  mind  was  on 
such  a  voyage  of  discovery. 

This  is  not  occultism  or  mysticism  or  clair- 
voyance. It  is  simply  a  phase  of  the  creative 
imagination,  and  Visualization,  two  of  the 

(7) 


greatest  faculties  of  the  human  mind.  These 
are  attributes  of  the  newly  evolving  man, — 
the  superior  man. 

We  will  now  recapitulate: 

The  reason  most  people  do  not  get  ahead  in 
the  world  is  because  their  mental  conceptions 
are  not  large  enough  and  their  aims  not  suf- 
ficiently definite. 

Plenty  of  people  have  a  vague  idea  of  be- 
coming rich,  but  this  does  not  get  them  any- 
where. What  they  should  do  is  to  form  a 
definite  plan  and  take  immediate  steps  to 
work  out  that  plan. 

We  ask  you  now  to  reflect  on  the  following 
resume,  and  ten  basic  Laws  of  Wealth. 

TEN  LAWS  OF  WEALTH 

1.  Make  a  mental  conception  of  the  degree 
and  kind  of  wealth  you  desire. 

2.  Form  a  definite  plan  of  acquiring  it  and 
take  some  step  or  action  each  day  leading 
toward  your  object. 

3.  Fortunes  are  made  by  blocking  out  a 
large  idea  and  then  working  up  to  it. 

4.  Invest  all  you  can  and  borrow  all  you 
can,  if  necessary,  to  carry  out  your  enterprise. 
No  man  gets  very  far  if  he  is  afraid  to  borrow 
money  to  back  up  his  enterprise. 

5.  Get  the  best  counsel  and  advice  you  can 
from  successful  men  in  the  line  of  business 
you  propose  to  follow. 

6.  Make  a  mental  demand  on  others  from 
whom  you  feel  you  may  rightfully  expect  aid 
and  co-operation  needed  in  carrying  out  your 
plans. 

7.  Be  sure  your  idea  is  logical  and  practical 
and  select  a  place  for  operation  where  con- 
ditions are  favorable. 

(8) 


8  The  more  mentality  and  imagination  you 
can  put  into  your  enterprise  the  greater  will 
be  its  scope  and  profit. 

9.  Make  a  chart  or  diagram  on  paper  of 
your  enterprise  and  keep  adding  to  the  data. 
10.  Study  and  review  the  plan  every  day 
and  devote  fifteen  minutes  each  day  to  con- 
structive thinking. 

CONSERVING  AND  DIRECTING  YOUR 
ENERGY 

Every  aspiring  man  and  woman  should  bear 
in  mind  that  efficiency  means  economy  of  oper- 
ation, not  excessive  and  strenuous  work.  So 
mental  efficiency  means  economy  of  effort  and 
conservation  of  energy.  A  man  may  be  very 
successful  and  effective  in  his  work.  But  at 
the  same  time  he  may  be  doing  his  work  with 
such  a  waste  of  physical  and  mental  energy 
that  he  is  hastening  towards  a  breakdown.  That 
is  the  condition  of  thousands  of  the  ablest  men 
in  this  country  today.  It  is  a  great  mistake. 
There  is  always  an  easier  and  more  harmonious 
way  of  doing  things  if  they  are  really  worth 
doing.  There  are  assistants  that  can  be  called 
in  to  do  some  of  the  hard  grinding  work. 
There  is  co-operation  to  be  secured  from  equals 
and  subordinates  that  will  lighten  the  load,  if 
a  man  but  reaches  out  for  this  kind  of  help. 

It  takes  thought  and  study  to  find  out  these 
avenues  toward  the  attainment  of  the  best  ways 
of  doing  things.  But  if  a  man  will  adopt  the 
receptive  mental  attitude  and  be  willing  to  seek 
this  knowledge  and  learn  from  all  sources  of 
information,  he  can  rise  easily  to  higher  levels 
of  achievement.  He  can  also  enjoy  his  work 
and  have  a  greater  degree  of  health  and  happi- 
ness. 

(9) 


KEEPING  IN  GOOD  PHYSICAL  CON- 
DITION 

It  has  been  shown  in  the  preceding  lessons 
how  the  mind  controls  all  the  activities  of  the 
body  and  shapes  a  person's  entire  career.  You 
are  now  familiar  with  the  influence  of  the 
mind  in  causing  feelings  of  exhilaration  and 
acting  as  a  stimulus  to  endeavor.  It  is  only  a 
step  further  to  apply  mental  principles  to  the 
avoidance  and  cure  of  all  functional  disease. 
By  functional  disease  is  meant  ailments  that 
are  due  to  disordered  conditions  of  the  natural 
functions  of  the  body,  such  as  headaches, 
stomach  troubles,  constipation  and  the  like. 
These  are  by  far  the  most  numerous  and  an- 
noying maladies  that  afflict  humanity.  If  a 
person  can  free  himself  from  such  ailments  he 
has  gone  a  long  way  toward  reaching  an  ideal 
condition  for  effective  work  and  happy  exist- 
ence. 

You  have  already  seen  how  all  the  vital  parts 
of  the  body,  stomach,  heart,  lungs,  liver  and 
other  organs  are  directly  connected  with  the 
brain  by  means  of  the  sympathetic  nervous 
system.  So  you  can  readily  understand  how  an 
effort  of  will  exerted  by  the  conscious  mind  can 
send  a  message  down  to  the  subconscious  mind, 
which  relays  the  message  to  any  given  organ 
and  affects  the  action  of  that  organ.  But  at 
this  point  a  distinction  should  be  observed  be- 
tween functional  and  organic  diseases. 

Functional  diseases  are  those  in  which  there 
is  no  actual  loss  of  tissue.  Organic  diseases  are 
those  in  which  an  actual  destruction  of  bodily 
tissue  has  occurred,  such  as  tuberculosis,  cancer 
and  blood  diseases.  All  these  as  well  as  sur- 
gical cases  and  germ  disease  need  all  the  skill 

(10) 


of  modern  medical  science.  Yet  even  in  the 
case  of  organic  diseases  the  mind  can  be  made 
to  play  an  important  part  in  recovery  by  stim- 
ulating the  natural  functions  of  the  body. 

Neurasthenia,  the  great  American  disease, 
can  be  cured  and  is  being  cured  every  day  by 
mind  power.  Neurasthenia  is  functional  de- 
rangement of  the  nervous  system  with  depres- 
sion of  the  vital  forces,  due  to  prolonged  over- 
work or  nervous  strain. 

Since  functional  diseases  come  properly  with- 
in the  scope  of  mind  control,  every  person 
should  be  familiar  with  scientific  and  practical 
methods  of  warding  off  or  curing  this  class  of 
ailments.  Functional  disease  is  really  a  per- 
verted form  of  bodily  action,  caused  usually  by 
mind  strain,  fear,  worry  or  nervous  shock.  The 
remedy  consists  in  restoring  harmonious  action 
to  the  organ  that  has  been  deranged.  Obvious- 
ly the  thing  to  do  is  to  correct  the  mental  con- 
dition and  the  body  will  then  tend  of  its  own 
accord  to  resume  its  normal  action. 

FIRST  PRINCIPLES  OF  HEALTH 

It  is  a  well  known  fact  in  physiology  that 
the  processes  of  secretion  and  repair  of  the  body 
are  dependent  on  blood  supply.  All  the  millions 
of  living  cells  of  which  the  body  is  composed, 
are  kept  alive  and  in  working  order  by  the 
vital  fluids  they  draw  from  the  blood.  An 
abundance  of  good  blood  actively  circulating 
through  the  body  is  necessary  to  maintain  a 
person  in  a  state  of  health.  Blood  is  made  by 
the  assimilation  of  food  and  air.  So  the  qua- 
lity and  amount  of  your  blood  is  dependent  on 
the  kind  of  air  you  breathe  and  the  kind  of  food 
that  you  eat.  Pure  air  and  good  food  are  thus 
the  first  essentials  to  physical  well  being. 

(ID 


By  great  mental  effort  a  person  may  be  able 
to  keep  himself  in  working  order  with  an  in- 
adequate supply  of  food  and  air,  but  at  the  risk 
of  future  physical  breakdown  and  depletion  of 
body  forces.  The  better  and  simpler  way  is  to 
recognize  the  body's  physical  needs,  comply 
with  them  as  far  as  possible  and  save  your 
mental  energies  for  the  greater  uses  of  life. 
Having  given  your  body  a  proper  amount  of 
good  food  and  pure  air  you  can  feel  that  you 
are  entitled  to  call  upon  all  your  physical  or- 
gans for  normal  healthful  action  and  to  aid  you 
in  the  pursuit  of  your  chosen  objects. 

While  we  might  lay  down  a  long  regime  for 
curing  functional  diseases,  there  are  two  rules 
that  form  a  short  cut  to  this  same  end.  They 
are  as  follows : 

1.  Avoid  the  mental  attitude  which  tends 
to  produce  a  certain  ailment ; 

2.  Assume  the  contrary  state  of  mind. 

For  instance,  headache  is  usually  caused  by 
mental  excitement  and  worry.  This  condition 
tends  to  lesson  the  blood  supply  to  the  digestive 
organs  and  to  produce  derangement  of  the 
stomach,  liver  and  bowels.  You  can  deliberately 
make  up  your  mind  that  you  will  not  permit 
yourself  to  become  so  excited  and  nervous  as  to 
cause  indigestion  and  constipation.  You  may 
at  first  think  that  the  nature  of  your  work  is 
such  that  you  cannot  avoid  mental  strain.  But 
if  you  will  analyze  your  work  in  the  light  of 
the  processes  stated  in  the  lesson  on  industrial 
efficiency,  you  will  probably  be  able  to  devise 
ways  of  doing  your  routine  tasks  without  un- 
due stress.  If  after  careful  and  continued  ef- 
fort you  cannot  do  so,  then  you  had  better 
make  a  change  in  your  work.  For  you  cannot 

(12) 


make  any  great  success  if  you  are  constantly 
being  incapacitated  by  physical  or  mental  strain, 

Most  of  the  mental  strain  of  a  business  day 
may  be  counteracted  by  cultivating  a  pleasant 
state  of  mind;  putting  on  a  smile  in  the  morn- 
ing at  the  same  time  you  put  on  your  coat,  and 
wearing  it  all  day.  This  is  in  line  with  the 
second  rule  stated  before,  that  to  avoid  certain 
physical  ills  you  should  assume  the  opposite 
state  of  mind  from  that  connected  with  a  cer- 
tain ailment. 

DRIVE  OUT  DISEASE  THOUGHTS 

The  mental  condition  that  invites  disease 
is  depression  of  thought  and  brooding  over  a 
disease,  its  aspects  and  symptoms.  To  correct 
this  habit  or  tendency  you  can  now  call  to 
your  aid  the  knowledge  you  have  acquired 
about  Visualization.  You  know  that  an  image 
held  in  the  mind  will  tend  to  reproduce  itself 
in  bodily  expression.  If  you  desire  to  be  well 
and  free  from  any  ailment  avoid  thinking 
about  diseases.  Avoid  talking  about  disease 
and  bad  symptoms.  Give  no  time  to  such  un- 
pleasant and  depressing  subjects.  Adopt  rea- 
sonable precautions  against  disease  and  then 
keep  your  mind  filled  with  happy,  healthful 
thoughts,  thoughts  of  your  work  and  pleasure. 

If  conversation  about  disease  is  forced  upon 
you  by  other  people,  banish  such  thoughts 
and  turn  the  discourse  into  happy,  healthful 
and  useful  channels.  This  does  not  mean  that 
you  should  have  no  sympathy  for  those  who 
are  sick  and  in  distress.  There  is  a  way  of 
feeling  and  expressing  sympathy  for  them 
and  at  the  same  time  doing  them  the  most 
good  by  lifting  their  minds  out  of  the  de- 

(13) 


pressing  levels  of  disease  and  sorrow  and  set- 
ting them  to  thinking  of  health  and  happiness. 
The  most  effective  way  to  bar  out  sickly 
thoughts  is  to  keep  your  mind  occupied  with 
stimulating,  invigorating  and  pleasurable  ideas. 
This  will  have  the  effect  of  stimulating  the 
bodily  organs  to  perform  their  functions  in  a 
normal,  healthful  way. 

CURING  YOURSELF 

Where  a  natural  function  has  become  per- 
verted and  you  are  actually  in  the  grip  of  an 
ailment,  some  such  treatment  as  this  may  be 
followed:  Place  your  hand  on  the  affected 
part  and  by  an  effort  of  the  will  direct  a  sup- 
ply of  blood  to  or  from  that  organ.  Picture 
to  yourself  that  organ  resuming  its  natural 
functioning  and  pulsating  with  healthful  life. 
In  the  case  of  headache  bear  in  mind  that  the 
cause  is  elsewhere,  usually  a  disordered  stom- 
ach or  liver  and  constipation,  resulting  in  a 
congestion  of  those  organs  and  the  sending 
of  an  excess  of  blood  to  the  head.  So  in  such 
cases  the  blood  should  be  directed  away  from 
the  head  and  to  the  digestive  organs.  Give 
frequent  treatments  of  this  sort  to  the  af- 
fected organs  during  the  day,  just  before  go- 
ing to  sleep  at  night  and  upon  arising  in  the 
morning. 

Where  an  ailment  has  become  chronic,  hold 
in  mind  constantly  the  idea  of  a  healthy  con- 
dition of  the  affected  organ.  If  you  are 
troubled  with  indigestion,  select  certain  ar- 
ticles of  food  that  you  know  are  healthful,  eat 
them  with  a  relish  and  the  confident  thought 
that  they  will  nourish  you  and  do  you  good. 
Nature  will  take  care  of  the  rest  of  the  digest- 
ive process.  You  have  only  to  give  the  appe- 

(14) 


tite  what  it  craves  without  overeating.  Drink 
a  plentiful  supply  of  water  in  some  form,  avoid- 
ing ice  water.  Two  quarts  of  water  a  day  will 
go  a  long  way  towards  correcting  most  func- 
tional ills  and  keeping  you  in  a  good  healthy 
condition.  As  a  simple  matter  of  health  abstain 
from  alcoholic  liquors  as  a  beverage. 

To  this  simple  system  of  right  thinking, 
wholesome  eating  and  drinking,  add  deep 
breathing  and  plenty  of  fresh  air  whenever 
and  wherever  you  can  get  it,  during  the  day. 
Then  get  an  abundance  of  fresh  air  at  night 
so  that  you  will  wake  up  every  morning  with  a 
feeling  of  refreshment.  A  volume  might  be 
added  on  this  subject  but  your  own  good  sense 
will  tell  you  how  to  best  regulate  your  every- 
day habits  of  life.  You  will  then  find  that  you 
will  have  very  few  ills  that  your  mind  will  have 
to  be  called  upon  to  cure.  Let  the  following  be 
your  Ten  Commandments  of  Health. 

DECALOGUE  OF  HEALTH 

1.  Avoid  the  mental  attitude  which  tends 
to  produce  a  certain  ailment  and  assume  the 
contrary  state  of  mind,  thinking  only  health 
thoughts. 

2.  Headaches  and  indigestion  are  functional 
disorders  which  any  person  can  cure  by  mind 
power  and  right  living.     Command  yourself 
to  be  well. 

3.  Drink  two  quarts  of  water  each  day. 

4.  Eat  moderately  of  nourishing  food  with 
only  a  few  varieties  at  each  meal. 

5.  Get  plenty  of  fresh  air  and  insist  on 
proper  ventilation  wherever  you  are. 

6.  Breathe  deeply  so  as  to  thoroughly  vital- 
ize your  blood. 

(15) 


7.  Get  as  nearly  eight  hours  sleep  a  day  as 
you  can. 

8.  Dismiss  all  unpleasant  thoughts  in  the 
evening  and  go  to  bed  in  a  happy  state  of 
mind. 

9.  Upon  retiring  relax  completely  by  lying 
on  your  back,  raising  your  hands  three  times 
and   letting    them   fall   by  your   side,    then 
breathe  deeply  twelve  times. 

10.  In  the  morning  upon  awaking,  think 
"I  am  happy  to  be  alive  and  well,"  and  breathe 
deeply  ten  times  while  standing  absolutely 
erect. 

If  you  adopt  this  decalogue  of  health,  you 
will  feel  fresh  and  eager  for  work  every  day. 

Those  who  put  into  practice  the  methods: 
outlined  in  this  course  will  become  conscious 
of  a  new  force  in  their  character.  The  effort 
of  will  soon  becomes  a  habit,  and  the  constant 
pressure  of  the  will  will  occur  automatically 
and  without  weariness.  This  sharpened 
faculty  will  arouse  new  physical  energies  and 
you  will  find  that  you  are  not  only  moving  on 
a  higher  mental  plane,  but  that  you  have 
gained  bodily  strength  and  vigor.  You  are 
becoming  a  Superior  Man  or  Woman.  The 
fact  is  you  have  undergone  an  evolution  to  a 
higher  personality.  You  have  developed  more 
convolutions  and  gray  matter  in  your  brain. 
You  are  a  different  man  physically  as  well  as 
mentally.  This  is  akin  to  what  is  termed  in 
religion  "regeneration"  or  being  born  again. 

There  is  a  growing  conception  of  God  as  the 
Universal  Mind, — and  man  the  highest  evolu- 
tion and  Materialization  of  Mind.  The  cultiva- 
tion of  mind  power  thus  leads  up  to  the  very 
door  of  religion.  Success  to  you  on  your  road 
to  High  Endeavor. 

(16) 


Personal  Problem  Supple- 
ment 

MIND  POWER  BUILDING  SERIES 
Copyright  1921  by  D.  Herbert  Hcywood 

GUIDE  TO  QUESTIONS  AND  ANSWERS 
and 

Solutions  Worked  Out  by  Men  and  Women 
Who  Have  Taken  This  Course. 


AS    A    summary    of    foregoing  lessons  we 
wish  to  make  a  brief  review  of  some  of 
the   essential    ideas    and    principles    set 
forth  in  these  lectures  as  a  guide  to  you  in 
answering  questions,  in  applying  these  things 
in  every-day  life,  and  molding  your  future. 

The  methods  outlined  in  this  course  are 
founded  on  well  established  psychological  laws. 
If  followed  regularly  and  persistently  they  will 
cause  a  person  to  instinctively  act  on  these 
higher  levels  of  thought,  without  conscious  ef- 
fort. This  is  the  essence  of  that  supreme  qual- 
ity,— character,  which  insures  a  person  against 
lapses,  and  weak  decisions, — which  enables  him 
to  pass  by  temptations  without  being  tempted, 
because  such  things  have  no  allurements. 

It  may  take  a  man  ten  years  to  learn  a  thing 
but  it  requires  only  a  minute  to  tell  it  and  for 
another  to  profit  by  it.  It  has  taken  psychol- 
ogists and  business  men  more  than  thirty  years 
,to  discover  the  mental  laws  and  efficiency  meth- 
*  ods  stated  in  this  course.  But  you  can  learn  and 
begin  to  apply  them  in  thirty  days. 

(1) 


ANSWERS  TO  LESSON  QUESTIONS 
AND  PERSONAL  PROBLEMS 

We  are  now  going  to  submit  to  you  answers 
given  to  questions  by  students  of  this  course. 
Some  are  by  men  and  others  by  women.  This 
will  aid  you  in  framing  your  own  answers. 
Working  out  these  answers  and  solutions  to 
personal  problems  will  be  one  of  the  greatest 
benefits  you  will  get  from  this  course.  We  hope 
you  will  not  overlook,  nor  neglect  this  feature 
of  the  course. 

REALIZATION  OF  PERSONAL 
POWERS 


ANSWERS  TO  LESSONS  I  AND  H. 

From  R.  H.  Sinclair,  1309  Victoria  Avenue,  Fort  William, 
Ontario,  Canada. 

To  discover,  use  and  develop  our  latent 
powers  to  the  fullest  extent  should  be  the  chief 
aim  of  every  person. 

The  three  fundamentals  of  personal  develop- 
ment are,  (1)  The  full  use  of  both  minds,  the 
conscious  and  subconscious;  (2)  Knowledge  of 
the  fact  that  we  all  have  the  mechanism  or 
working  parts  for  a  practically  perfect  memory 
and  some  other  faculty  or  faculties  which  when 
developed  will  lead  to  superiority  in  some  par- 
ticular line;  (3)  The  acts  and  habits  are  the 
products  of  previous  thought  and  that  we  can 
become  what  we  will  by  directing  pur  thoughts 
along  constructive  lines  and  refusing  to  enter- 
tain thoughts  which  are  not  in  harmony  with 
our  best  interests. 

The  application  of  these  principles  arouse  am- 
bition  and  a  new  sense  of  security  and  power 
over  circumstances. 

(2) 


The  subconscious  mind  works  along  grooves 
previously  worn  in  the  brain  cells;  it  works 
continuously;  if  properly  used  it  will  solve  all 
problems  without  strain.  On  the  other  hand, 
the  conscious  mind  works  laboriously,  using  up 
tremendous  energy. 

I  have  drawn  up  a  schedule  of  my  day's  work 
for  the  purpose  of  simplifying  and  systematiz- 
ing things. 

Ambition  and  application  are  the  keynotes  to 
progress. 

I  am  applying  these  principles  by  developing 
my  powers  of  observation,  memory,  judgment, 
etc. 

USEFUL  APPLICATION  OF  THIS 
STUDY 

ANSWERS  TO  QUESTIONS,  LESSONS 
I  AND  II. 

From  Harriet  C.    Gary,   1434   N.   Mount  Street, 
Baltimore,  Maryland. 

I  am  able  to  put  aside  fearful  apprehen- 
sions; to  look  hopefully  towards  the  future 
with  a  calmness  born  of  perfect  assurance  that 
whatever  my  desires  may  be  all  will  work  out 
well  for  me. 

A  person  gets  a  new  conception  of  his  mind 
power  and  how  to  use  it  by  this  study. 

To  every  person  it  is  valuable  to  know  of  the 
great  "I"  within,  that  which  when  properly 
aroused  can  accomplish  all  things. 

A  man's  superiority  above  his  associates  can 
be  measured  by  his  capacity  for  rapidity  of 
thought. 

I  am  planning  my  work  which  is  to  be  done 
the  day  before,  and  doing  so  much  of  it  in  a 

(3) 


given  time,  never  permitting  hurry  or  worry  to 
interfere  with  my  plans. 

For  personal  development  careful  study  is 
needed,  with  a  determination  to  succeed,  rein- 
forced by  an  indefatigable  will. 

By  using  these  principles  I  can  plan  fear- 
lessly and  execute  my  plans  hopefully,  looking 
toward  the  future  with  joy,  believing  that  it 
holds  great  good  for  me  which  I  am  certain 
to  obtain. 

A  GREAT  HELP  IN  SCHOOL  WORK. 

From  Elizabeth  P.  Way,  814  Glen  Oak  Avenue, 
Peoria,  Illinois. 

The  chief  ami  of  every  person  should  be — 
efficiency. 

The  three  fundamentals  of  personal  develop- 
ment are: 

(a)  To  know  how  to  use  your  brain. 

(b)  To  cultivate  your  memory. 

(c)  To  think  quickly. 

The  effect  of  applying  these  principles  will  be 
more  power,  the  power  to  control  not  only  your- 
self but  circumstances. 

Speed  of  thought  gives  you  the  same  ad- 
vantage that  any  other  form  of  speed  may  give. 
You  get  there  first.  You  think  all  around  your 
rival  and  get  ahead  of  him. 

The  speed  of  thought  test  was  easy,  but  of 
course  I  am  constantly  correcting  papers  and 
so  ought  to  be  speedy.  It  is  the  grade  teacher's 
only  salvation,  otherwise  she  would  be  hope- 
lessly swamped. 

(Miss  Way's  test  was  one  of  the  quickest  we 
have  on  record,  being  3/5  of  a  second.) 

I  am  systematizing  my  day's  work  by  decid- 
ing definitely  just  what  to  do  and  then  putting 

(4) 


my  whole  mind  on  that  thing,  doing  it  as  quickly 
as  possible,  then  taking  up  the  next  thing  on  my 
schedule. 

Three  things  are  needed  to  grasp  these  prin- 
ciples, open-mindedness,  concentration  and  per- 
severance. 

I  am  using  the  rules  for  personal  develop- 
ment daily  at  every  opportunity. 

Psychology  is  part  of  the  Normal  Course  and 
your  application  of  it  is  very  interesting.  I  find 
I  am  gaining,  I  do  not  get  so  tired  and  seem  to 
have  more  reserve. 

The  grade  which  I  have  is  very  difficult  to 
control  and  I  dreaded  taking  it  up  again,  but 
I  really  think  that  your  methods  are  going  to 
help  a  lot.  In  Memory  I  find  I  need  accuracy, 
and  I  am  going  to  work  on  that. 

BUILDING  EXECUTIVE  ABILITY 
ANSWERS  TO  QUESTIONS,  LESSONS 

in  AND  iv. 

From   A.    L.    Palmer,    661    Holbrook   Building, 
San  Francisco. 

1.  There  is  a  greater  demand  for  trained 
minds  because  they  can  do  a  greater  amount  of 
work  in  less  time  and  do  it  better. 

2.  Executive  ability  can  be  cultivated  by 
forming  the  habit  of  analysis,  deduction  and 
decision;  by  increasing  the  range  of  attention; 
by  demanding  the  mental  co-operation  of  the 
whole  office  force  and  expecting  without  a  doubt 
to  receive  it;  by  picturing  one's  self  as  being 
required  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  head  of 
the  department  or  concern  and  determining  in 
detail  how  you  would  do  it. 

3.  Business  tone  can  be  acquired  by  directing 
your  ideas  so  as  to  aid  your  purposes;  by  calling 

(5) 


up  from  the  subconsciousness  images  opposed 
to  fear  and  depression;  by  having  a  definite 
standard  or  object  to  accomplish  to  employ  the 
energies  constructively. 

4.  I  get  command  of  myself  every  morning 
by  a  few  minutes  of  calisthenics  and  a  cold 
shower,   and   endeavoring   to   think   cheerful, 
happy  thoughts,  confident  of  the  ability  to  dis- 
charge the  duties  of  the  day  and  expecting  that 
something  unusually  good  and  satisfying  will 
occur. 

5.  I  keep  myself  in  good  physical  condition 
by  endeavoring  to  control  my  thoughts,  by 
avoiding  destructive  emotions,  as  anger,  fear 
and  depression;  by  self  command;  by  positive 
direction  of  the  thoughts  and  ideas  so  as  to 
avoid  unfavorable  reactions;  by  assuming  an 
attitude  of  confidence  and  the  expectation  that 
disease  shall  not  occur  to  my  body. 

6.  These  studies  about  developing  the  ex- 
ecutive quality  are  very  helpful,  and  your  sug- 
gestion to  hold  the  expectation  that  oppor- 
tunity for  greater  achievements  will  appear  in 
good  time,  is  a  good  attitude  for  every  one  to 
assume. 

7.  I  am  applying  formulas  for  general  devel- 
opment on  retiring  or  in  other  leisure  moments, 
endeavoring  to  fix  in  the  mind  the  principles  so 
far  presented  in  this  Course,  with  the  belief 
that  they  will  be  the  foundation  of  a  larger 
mental  life. 

8.  The  foundation  principle  of  efficiency  and 
good  management  is  to  get  things  done  in  the 
quickest  possible  way,  with  the  least  possible 
expenditure  of  energy. 

9.  I   am   using   the   following   system   and 
methods;  at  home  and  in  the  office  I  have  a 

(6) 


portfolio  of  three  or  four  compartments,  for 
caring  for  many  personal  matters. 

On  the  work  table  in  my  office  one  tray  is 
assigned  to  receiving  all  incoming  matters  re- 
quiring attention,  another  for  papers  to  be  filed, 
and  a  third  for  papers  needing  the  attention  of 
others. 

I  use  the  right  end  of  the  roll  top  desk  for 
placing  papers  for  dictation,  and  the  left  end  of 
the  desk  for  holding  papers  in  pending  matters 
which  have  to  be  kept  under  the  hand  until  they 
are  disposed  of. 

I  devote  the  drawers  of  the  work  table  by 
my  desk  to  stationery  and  tools  used  every  day. 
The  desk  drawers  are  used  for  storage  pur- 
poses, for  the  most  part  for  articles  needed  close 
at  hand.  The  lesson  suggests  some  improve- 
ments here  which  I  expect  to  make  by  installing 
files  in  drawers. 

INTERESTING  MEMORY  EXERCISES 

ANSWERS  TO  MEMOR?  LESSONS. 

From  Ethel  L.  Walker,  Mcgraw,  N.  Y. 

1.  A  simple  and  effective  way  of  recalling  any 
name,  date  or  fact  is  to  tell  yourself  that  you 
want  that  certain  name,  in  the  form  of  a  mental 
command,  and  then  recall  all  the  objects  or  facts 
associated  with  it. 

2.  If  the  name  is  still  illusive,  begin  with  the 
first  letter  of  the  alphabet  and  ask  yourself  if 
the  name  begins  with  A,  B,  C,  D,  etc.     This 
usually  results  in  bringing  to  your  lips  the  de- 
sired name  or  word. 

3.  It  is  necessary  to  keep  the  physical  senses 
keen  because  through  them  the  mental  images 
are  registered  on  the  subconscious  mind  and  by 

(7) 


these  images  we  remember.  So  the  clearness 
of  our  memory  depends  on  the  vividness  of  the 
images  stored  away  in  the  subconscious  mind. 

4.  If  we  give  poor  attention  to  things  the  im- 
pressions   which    we    form    are    weak.     The 
grooves  in  the  brain  tissues  are  therefore  shal- 
low and  are  soon  lost.     But  if  we  give  good  at- 
tention a  deep  impression  is  made  and  the  fact 
is  easily  recalled. 

5.  Mechanical  aids  to  memory  should   be 
adopted  because  it  is  better  to  remember  the 
big  things  well  and  have  aids  for  the  details 
than  to  remember  them  all  imperfectly  and  have 
your  mind  overtaxed.     These  aids  also  help  to 
train  the  memory,  as  each  time  a  fact  is  recalled 
or  acted  upon  the  impression  is  stronger. 

6.  I  am  trying  the  shop  window  device  to  see 
how  many  more  things  I  can  remember  each 
day. 

7.  A  good  memory  gives  one  confidence  and 
poise.     It  exhilarates  and  strengthens  all  the 
physical  organs  as  well  as  the  mind.     It  quiets 
the  nerves,  and  gives  one  a  calm  and  happy 
atmosphere  in  which  one  feels  sure  of  himself. 

8.  I  am  practicing  the  remembering  of  the 
principal  expressions  of  speakers  and  trying 
to  remember  a  long  list  of  names  of  persons 
that  I  am  introduced  to,  and  am  using  other  de- 
vices given  in  the  lessons. 

9.  I  am  much  pleased  with  the  idea  of  a  desk 
calendar  pad  and  shall  use  that  when  I  take  up 
my  school  work  in  September. 

10.  These  laws  strengthen  one's  faculties,  for 
each  repetition,  comparison  or  association 
strengthens  the  power  of  the  mind.  Just  as 
muscles  develop  by  exercise  and  also  gain  in 
flexibility  and  efficiency,  so  does  the  mind. 

(8) 


THE  WILL  AS  A  FACTOR  IN  MEMORY 
TRAINING 

ANSWERS  TO  MEMORY  LESSONS. 

From  Henry  Shato,  2438  Poplar  Street, 
Philadelphia,  Pa. 

ANSWERS  TO  LESSONS  V  AND  VI. 


I  always  put  forth  the  will  in  the  effort  to  re- 
member. 

It  is  necessary  to  keep  the  perceptive  powers 
at  their  best  and  the  effort  of  continuing  the 
exercise  of  the  perceptive  faculties  will  develop 
a  greater  alertness,  attention  and  will  power  as 
well  as  the  capacity  for  accurate  observation. 

Persistent  attention  is  essential,  watchfulness 
and  a  certain  detective  attitude  in  ascertaining 
facts  to  remember  and  imprint  the  true  mental 
image  on  the  brain  cells,  of  things  which  you 
may  need  to  recall  in  the  future.  Continuous 
alertness  and  persistent  attention  form  a  very 
important  part  in  memory  training. 

I  adopted  a  memorandum  plan  along  the  lines 
indicated  in  the  lessons  and  in  my  wrork  have 
formed  a  mechanical  habit  which  never  fails 
me  up  to  95%  of  perfection. 

A  good  memory  will  give  one  a  better  self- 
control  and  ability  to  meet  his  superior  oppon- 
ents in  everything. 

In  my  studies  I  am  making  notes  of  the  lec- 
tures which  I  re-write  from  memory  later  on. 

The  sight  memory  exercise  is  to  observe 
everything  one  sees  and  write  it  down  later 
from  memory  and  continue  this  exercise  until 
he  has  developed  and  perfected  his  sight  and 
memory  to  the  desired  degree. 

To  develop  and  strengthen  my  faculties  de- 
pends upon  study,  time  and  application  of  these 
psychological  laws,  which  will  build  up  my  per- 

(9) 


sonality  and  expand  my  thought  mechanism 
over  a  wider  field. 

NOTE.  I  have  adopted  an  alphabetical  filing 
index  where  I  file  everything  of  importance  and 
ideas  which  I  think  may  be  of  use  in  the  future. 

Along  with  this  I  started  to  use  the  Day's 
Activities  Chart  and  the  Work  Chart  given  in 
the  Industrial  Efficiency  Lecture. 

The  Day's  Activity  Chart  has  proved  a  great 
help  to  me  and  I  am  doing  things  quicker  than 
I  ever  did  before. 

BENEFITS  OF  MEMORY  STUDY. 

ANSWERS  TO  MEMORY  LESSON 
QUESTIONS. 

From  Miss  Lizzie  Walsh,   Springfield,   Ohio. 

I  notice  an  improvement  already  in  my  mem- 
ory, which  I  thought  formerly  was  poor.  The 
way  I  do  is  to  follow  the  lesson  rules  which 
you  give,  by  trying  to  think  of  something,then 
go  on  with  something  else,  not  getting  nervous 
about  it  and  presently  it  comes  to  me. 

A  good  memory  has  a  most  exhilarating  effect 
on  the  mental  and  physical  system. 

In  Memory  Test  No.  1,  I  remembered  13 
words  out  of  20,  65%.  In  Test  No.  2,  I  missed 
only  8  words  out  of  50,  which  made  84%. 
(This  is  20%  above  the  average.) 

The  memory  exercise  I  use  every  day  is  to  try 
to  observe  new  and  different  things,  to  meet 
and  be  introduced  to  new  acquaintances  and  to 
remember  their  names. 

I  also  use  the  sight  memory  exercise  by  train- 
ing myself  to  see  and  remember  a  great  many 
things,  not  being  content  with  just  the  larger 
or  more  important  things,  but  also  the  smaller 
details  about  them,  and  find  them  exceedingly 
interesting  and  important. 

(10) 


These  psychological  laws  strengthen  and  de- 
velop your  faculties  by  changing  your  whole 
personality  and  giving  you  a  new  interest  in 
life. 

CONCLUSIONS  DRAWN  FROM  LEC- 
TURE ON  CONCENTRATION  AND 
PRACTICAL  APPLICATION 
TO  A  DAY'S  WORK 

From  Joseph  Sima,  Prairie  du  Chien,  Wisconsin. 

By  concentrated  thinking  I  develop  greater 
devotion  to  my  cause.  The  small  things  of  life 
will  have  less  effect  upon  me  and  I  shall  attain 
poise  and  self  control. 

If  your  desire  is  deep  enough  it  will  control 
your  words  and  actions  and  develop  thought 
force  that  will  have  the  proper  effect  on  others. 
To  do  this  you  must  have  a  positive  purpose. 

Not  being  an  office  man  I  cannot  use  system 
exactly  as  explained  in  text,  but  I  keep  order  in 
my  tool  chest  and  dresser  drawers.  I  plan  my 
work  ahead  and  have  a  note  book  for  dating 
things  ahead  and  for  keeping  suggestions  and 
facts  that  I  like  or  think  I  can  use  later. 

When  I  am  at  work  I  keep  my  mind  on  what 
I  am  doing  and  keep  interested  in  it.  I  study 
what  is  to  be  done  and  how.  I  figure  how  long 
it  will  take  or  should  take.  I  form  an  idea  of 
the  amount  of  work  I  will  do  tomorrow  and 
thus  keep  up  my  ambition. 

I  get  command  of  myself  in  the  morning  by 
thinking  of  the  day  ahead  as  a  successful  day; 
also  making  up  my  mind  not  to  worry  or  lose 
my  temper,  no  matter  what  happens. 

I  think  I  do  about  25%  more  work  since 
applying  system.  I  lose  no  time  in  looking  for 
tools  and  a  feeling  of  contentment  gives  me 
greater  working  capacity. 

(ID 


VALUE  OF  CONCENTRATION 

From  Mary  E.  Cole,  Normangee,  Texas. 

Concentration  is  sustained  thought  and  action 
on  one  subject. 

A  person  can  automatically  move  toward  a 
certain  object  by  setting  his  mental  helm  in  that 
direction. 

By  concentrating  we  acquire  greater  devotion 
to  some  cause,  which  eliminates  the  effect  of 
trivial  affairs  and  gives  us  the  successful  look. 

I  find  the  2nd  of  the  several  rules  most  ef- 
fective: "Form  a  clear  mental  image  of  the 
object  you  desire  and  picture  yourself  as  already 
possessing  it." 

A  good  plan  for  originating  an  idea  is  to  con- 
centrate all  thoughts  so  as  to  summon  all  your 
subconscious  faculties  into  action  to  work  out  a 
constructive  idea. 

I  have  not  had  the  opportunity  to  teach  these 
principles  to  adults,  but  have  talked  to  those 
with  enough  intelligence  to  understand  and  they 
are  wonder  struck  to  have  their  thoughts  which 
seem  so  scattered  or  hidden  brought  to  view 
and  controlled. 

I  concentrate  my  thoughts  upon  each  per- 
formance of  each  child  in  my  school  and  try  to 
discover  his  ability  and  inclination  to  certain 
vocations.  I  plan  such  things  as  well  be  enjoyed 
as  well  as  give  necessary  enlightenment  and  try 
to  present  lesson  subjects  in  the  way  that  I  think 
will  be  awakening  and  easiest  understood. 

I  can't  thank  you  enough  for  the  help  these 
lessons  have  given  me.     You  may  rest  assured 
that  my  thanks  will  be  given  in  earnest  efforts 
towards  making  known  to  as  many  others  as 
possible  your  very  helpful  principles. 
Yours  respectfully, 
MARY  E.  COLE. 

(12) 


APPLYING  PRINCIPLES  TO  BUSINESS 

From   Edna   L.   Anderson,    with    Arrerican    Druggists 
Syndicate,  New  Ycrk. 

A  person  learns  from  the  first  lesson  in  your 
Course  that  he  has  the  mechanism  of  a  prac- 
tically perfect  memory  and  how  to  develop  and 
use  it.  You  also  learn  that  each  person  has  the 
ability  to  do  some  one  thing  better  than  any 
other  person  in  the  world. 

You  notice  a  change  in  the  whole  character 
and  performance  of  a  person  in  the  course  of 
six  weeks  if  he  or  she  studies  and  works  out 
these  principles  and  methods. 

From  these  efficiency  principles  you  see  the 
need  of  keeping  everything  in  an  orderly  man- 
ner, completing  every  task,  checking  up  every- 
thing, overlooking  no  obligation  or  promise  and 
forgetting  nothing.  A  person  also  learns  the 
necessity  of  cultivating  the  habit  of  methodical 
work  and  thoroughness.  I  am  applying  these 
rules  and  methods  daily  in  everything. 

Executive  capacity  or  some  special  ability  can 
be  developed  by  every  person  by  proper  train- 
ing and  putting  the  will  to  the  task.  I  am  using 
the  methods  you  recommend  in  the  lesson  for 
getting  aid  and  co-operation  in  my  work.  Being 
handicapped  in  many  ways  I  knew  that  I  had 
to  prove  efficiency  and  I  have  succeeded  by  ap- 
plying similar  methods  of  my  own.  Your  sug- 
gestions are  an  added  help. 

Your  memory  system  strengthens  and  tones  a 
person  up.  Your  explanation  of  how  to  make 
your  memory  images  as  vivid  as  a  film  negative 
is  very  helpful.  Your  methods  are  an  effective 
way  of  training  the  mind  to  observe  and  remem- 
ber in  detail.  Add  to  this  the  exercise  of  the 
will  and  its  ability  to  command  the  subconscious 

(13) 


mind  to  reproduce  what  you  wish  and  a  person 
is  suprised  at  results. 

The  industrial  efficiency  methods  you  state 
enable  a  person  to  do  rapid  work  without  break- 
down and  at  the  same  time  to  rise  to  a  higher 
level  of  mental  and  bodily  activity  and  thrive 
on  it. 

LEADS  TO  HIGHEST  SUCCESS 

Answers  from  Mrs.  Alice  Haynes,  1521  Morton  Street, 
Alameda,  California. 

The  achievement  of  success  is  the  commend- 
able aim  of  every  life  worth  living.  Success  to 
one  may  mean  acquiring  money,  to  another  at- 
taining scientific  knowledge  and  distinction,  to 
another  political  position,  to  others  social  pres- 
tige, but  to  those  of  the  broadest  vision  it  is  a 
complete  life,  the  accomplishment  of  a  definite 
purpose. 

The  effect  of  applying  the  principles  and 
methods  presented  in  these  lessons  to  your  life 
affairs  is  efficiency,  which  tends  to  keep  a  person 
aroused  arid  active.  Personal  efficiency  con- 
sists of  development  of  a  strong  will,  intelli- 
gence, ability  to  think,  genuineness,  ambition 
and  a  desire  to  do  things. 

AID  TO  ACHIEVEMENT. 

From  H.  W.  K.  Irvine,  Altuna,   Santa  Lucia,   Cuba. 

The  chief  aim  of  every  person  should  be  to 
analyze  his  character  and  mental  powers,  find 
out  his  weak  spots,  and  then  set  about  to  train 
and  strengthen  the  weak  parts  to  the  fullest  pos- 
ible  degree,  using  the  strong  points  in  his 
character  to  help  accomplish  this  end. 

By  getting  control  of  one's  double  mind 
power  a  man  obtains  the  use  of  the  marvelous 
storehouse  of  his  subconscious  mind,  and  these 

(14) 


two  minds,  the  conscious  and  the  subconscious, 
working  in  harmony,  give  one  character  and 
strength. 

The  effect  of  applying  the  principles  set  forth 
in  these  lessons  is  that  you  get  confidence  and 
control  of  your  mental  powers,  which  leads  to 
efficiency  and  doing  work  with  less  effort. 

The  greatest  discovery  that  a  man  ever  makes 
is  that  he  has  a  deeper  mind  than  he  is  ordinarily 
conscious  of,  which  is  the  storehouse  of  all  his 
past  thoughts,  knowledge  and  experience,  which 
if  used  and  directed  properly  is  of  untold  value. 

The  value  of  knowing  your  speed  of  thought 
is  useful  in  business  and  social  matters,  for  if 
you  can  think  faster  than  the  person  with  whom 
you  are  dealing  it  gives  you  an  immense  ad- 
vantage and  also  confidence.  In  cases  of  emer- 
gency a  person  who  thinks  the  fastest  may  avert 
a  disaster  or  save  a  life. 

I  am  systematizing  my  work  as  far  as  possible 
along  the  lines  you  mention  so  as  to  save  time 
and  energy. 

To  grasp  these  principles  one  has  to  know 
the  laws  governing  the  mental  process  of  think- 
ing and  how  to  obtain  control  of  the  mind.  He 
must  then  cultivate  the  habit  of  control  and  hold 
the  thought  of  desire  and  ambition,  or  perhaps 
I  should  say  aspiration,  and  live  up  to  these 
ideas. 

I  am  trying  to  develop  my  dynamic  power  by 
the  means  mentioned  by  you  in  these  lessons,  by 
gaining  control  of  myself,  getting  confidence 
and  cultivating  happy  thoughts,  and  by  striving 
to  get  rid  of  ignoble  and  weak  qualities. 

Executive  ability  can  be  developed  by  learn- 
ing to  get  control  of  your  dual  mind  power,  by 
building  up  your  personality,  by  enlarging  your 
range  of  attention,  by  being  alert,  by  observing, 

(15) 


noting  and  remembering  what  you  see.  A  man 
cannot  command  others  till  he  has  got  com- 
mand of  himself.  So  I  make  a  practice  of  get- 
ting command  of  myself  each  morning  by  tak- 
ing deep  breathing  exercises,  and  getting  con- 
trol of  my  subconscious  mind,  or  getting  the 
back  of  my  head  working,  as  you  might  say, 
then  going  over  the  day's  work  and  planning  it 
to  the  best  of  my  ability  and  trying  not  to  let 
trivial  things  annoy  me. 

I  am  planning  to  advance  in  my  profession 
and  am  studying  along  that  line.  I  am  also 
working  out  a  scheme  to  develop  a  business.  I 
am  using  rules  for  orderliness  and  desk  system, 
getting  rid  of  all  unnecessary  papers  and  ma- 
terial, attending  to  the  main  business  of  the  day 
first  and  then  taking  up  other  matters  in  due 
order. 


HOW  TO  WRITE  YOUR  ANSWERS 

The  answers  given  here  are  brief  and  merely 
suggestive.  To  get  the  greatest  good  from  this 
course,  write  out  your  own  original  answers  in 
full  to  all  questions.  Afterwards  compare  them 
with  this  supplement  for  help  in  arriving  at  the 
best  possible  answers  or  solutions  of  personal  or 
business  problems.  The  answers  and  solutions 
given  by  others  in  this  supplement  will  be  a  help 
to  you.  Make  out  one  set  of  ten  answers  each 
week,  if  you  conveniently  can.  Give  plenty  of 
time  and  thought  to  this  work. 

Some  answers  are  so  good  that  with  your  per- 
mission we  would  like  to  copy  and  show  them  to 
other  students  as  an  aid  and  inspiration  to  them. 
Address  answers  and  inquiries  to 
CORRESPONDENCE  DEPARTMENT, 

THOMSON-HEYWOOD  Co., 
Chronicle  Building, 

San  Francisco,  Cal. 
(16) 


YA  0184 


THIS  BOOK  is  DUE  ON  THE  LAST  DATE 
STAMPED  BELOW 

AN  INITIAL  FINlToF  25  CENTS 


_J&_23^ 

r—~  4Ha£i£t!L_ 

FEB   25   1934 

COSfl00307S 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


